* Amanda Vinicky…

[I]n the Reproductive Health Act, or RHA, a law (Public Act 101-0013) Pritzker signed in 2019 and added to in 2023 (Public Act 102-1117). It “sets forth the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about one’s own reproductive health.”

Because of the RHA, “there won’t be an Illinois Supreme Court that comes out and rules what Alabama did,” said lobbyist Stephanie Vojas Taylor, who helped draft those portions of the law. […]

“What the RHA did before was basically say an embryo is not a person, it has no personhood — but it was only in the context of abortion,” Vojas Taylor said of the 2019 law. She added that after the Dobbs ruling, the 2023 additions to Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act made it so that the state was shouting “if you need an abortion, you can come here. We love women.” […]

In addition to defining terms of [assisted reproductive technology], the RHA also updated the state’s Parentage Act to lay out that legal arrangements like consent forms at fertility clinics or marriage or divorce agreements determine what happens to unused frozen fertilized eggs, or parents who “no longer wish to use any remaining cryopreserved fertilized ovum for medical purpose.” […]

“We actually have a pretty long history, a good statutory framework of IVF,” said state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, who sponsored the RHA and was among the first to require insurers cover infertility treatment.

* As you know, a bill sponsored by Rep. Cassidy would give a tax credit to doctors or families who move to Illinois to provide or obtain access to reproductive or gender affirming care. WBEZ has more…

[L]awmakers and reproductive rights advocates are bracing for the potential of patients and providers coming to Illinois for IVF treatment. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said it’s still too early to tell, but they are keeping a close eye on what conservative lawmakers in other states do next.

“They achieved their goal in Alabama, but there’s probably five or six states that are just two or three steps behind,” Cassidy said. […]

Cassidy, meanwhile, is proposing that Illinois give a $500 tax credit to physicians and patients fleeing states that are limiting access to health care that is lawful in Illinois — which can include abortion, gender-affirming care and fertility treatments.

“As we’re giving a clear path for providers to bring their licenses and their talents here, that will help with the infrastructure issues as well,” Cassidy said. “I think we anticipate … some potential need to accommodate inbound patients. Will it be at the volume of abortion? Probably not. Like I said, it’s a much harder thing to travel for.”

* WAND…

Private insurance companies in Illinois can currently limit patients to four rounds of IVF treatment. State lawmakers removed the cap on infertility coverage for state employees last year. Although, a proposal in the Illinois House could expand private insurance coverage for the critical infertility treatments.

Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) told the House Insurance Committee Tuesday that the live birth rate for a single cycle of IVF is roughly 30%. She explained there are similar success rates for one to four cycles of IVF.

However, the success rate jumps to 65% for women who complete six cycles of IVF treatment. […]

“We don’t cap the rounds of chemo that you can do if you have cancer,” said Stephanie Vojas Taylor. “So, I’m not sure why we’re capping the rounds of infertility coverage for someone who has a medical diagnosis.”

* Politico…

Sen. Tammy Duckworth is bringing an Illinois doctor who specializes in reproductive health and in vitro fertilization as her guest to the president’s State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress Thursday night, highlighting her party’s efforts to protect access to abortion and in vitro fertilization.

She’s not the only one: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) is hosting Jen Welch, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04) is bringing Abby Favro, a constituent from Elmhurst and the chief development officer for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. And Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) is hosting Dr. Lisa Green, the CEO of FCHC in Harvey and an advocate on Black maternal health issues.

Duckworth has been focused on IFV for years, in part because she relied on IVF for the birth of her two children. “It’s thanks to doctors and health professionals like Dr. Amanda Adeleye that millions of Americans — myself included — have been able to have kids and grow our families, but Republicans intent on exerting even more control over women’s bodies are putting access to these treatments at risk across the country,” she said in a statement.

Her bill to enact federal protections for the procedure to the Senate floor last week was blocked by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi.

* More…

* CNN | Alabama lawmakers set to finalize IVF legislation, but experts say it’s going to take more work to protect fertility services: The new legislation does not address the issue of personhood at the heart of last month’s unprecedented ruling in a case stemming from the accidental destruction of frozen embryos at a fertility clinic, and experts say it’s going to take more work to protect fertility services in the state.

* Tennessee Lookout | Bill to protect IVF treatment, access to contraceptives dies in Tennessee House: But a majority of GOP members on the House Population Health Subcommittee dismissed the need to clarify the state’s abortion ban, which makes it a Class C felony for anyone who performs the procedure. “Even though we are talking about this being clarifying language, to me there’s actually more confusing language in this, in that the laws we currently have … both IVF and contraception is legal in the state of Tennessee,” said Rep. Brian Terry, a Murfreesboro Republican.

* WSJ | America’s First IVF Baby Is Fighting for the Treatment That Gave Her Life: Elizabeth Carr has always been a living symbol of fertility technology’s possibilities. Now she is the face of its challenges. Carr, 42 years old, is the first baby born by in vitro fertilization in the U.S. Over the years she has told countless audiences how the technology made it possible for her mother to have a baby.