Arizona Senate wants to register every embryo in SB 1376

Last week the Arizona Senate Health Committee passed SB 1376, a bill that requires every embryo created as a result of IVF to be tracked and reported to the state government. In addition, SB 1376 sets up a “study committee” of state legislators to study IVF and determine if more regulation is needed.

The Arizona legislature feels it has a right to oversee and regulate doctors and clinics in our state that assist patients with infertility. It feels it has a right to study what adults who are overcoming medically verified fertility disabilities are doing to create embryos and what their decisions about their embryos are. Our state has no business obtaining information about embryos created, since Arizona does not provide any mandate for infertility insurance coverage nor do they pay for IVF or assisted reproductive services. This is not an attempt to ‘regulate an industry’ that might cause potential harm to good people, it is an attempt to use fertility patients as the scapegoats to create legislation that would outlaw abortion (the furthest thing from ANY fertility patient’s mind!).

Fertility Clinics already report to the Centers for Disease Control regarding their IVF cases and the outcomes. The CDC uses the information to create transparency for patients and to establish best practices.  The state legislation is redundant and unnecessary. Additionally, our state does not have the money to oversee this kind of data so the cost of the data base will be born by fertility patients (as if treatment is not expensive enough!)

Contact your Arizona State Senator today and let them know that SB 1376 is unnecessary and it punishes fertility patients and their families.

To read the bill: http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/51leg/1r/bills/sb1376p.htm

To read RESOLVE’s on line letter:

http://www.resolve.org/get-involved/2013-state-advocacy-efforts.html#AZ

To watch the most recent news story:

http://www.azcentral.com/video/#/News/Arizona+legislators+put+fertility+clinics+under+microscope/40280768001/35150280001/2189339366001

To find your legislative district input your address and zip code:

http://azredistricting.org/districtlocator/

Call your state senator today, it will take 5 minutes and will be worth every moment.