Here Are the 125 Members of Congress Who Sponsored a Bill That Would Restrict IVF
If the "Life at Conception Act" passes, it would have the same effect as the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling. The bill would also outlaw all abortions nationwide.
Photo: Shutterstock AbortionPoliticsFallout has been swift after the Alabama Supreme Court declared last week that frozen embryos are considered children under wrongful death statutes in a chilling ruling. At least three fertility clinics have paused IVF in the state citing fears of criminalization if they follow the standard of care for IVF, which involves storing and sometimes discarding unused embryos, and Republican politicians are twisting themselves into pretzels trying to say that their anti-abortion stance shouldn’t affect fertility treatments like IVF.
One GOP group, the National Republican Senate Committee, said in a Friday memo that the Alabama ruling is “fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain.” In actuality, abortion bans can be weaponized against all kinds of other reproductive healthcare, including IVF, contraception, and miscarriage care. Republicans are just scared shitless that their decades-long goal of overturning Roe v. Wade is going to cost them yet another election.
The Alabama ruling gives fertilized eggs legal protection and—wouldn’t you know it—more than 100 sitting members of Congress want to do the same thing nationwide with a fetal personhood bill. In January 2023, House Republicans introduced H.R. 431, the Life at Conception Act, and the bill text says it would “implement equal protection for the right to life of each born and preborn human person,” defining “person” as “each and every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization.” There’s no carveout for IVF and the bill would also ban all abortions nationwide. However, the bill has never had so much as a committee hearing, let alone a full floor vote, probably because it would need 218 votes to pass.
Here are the 125 Republican co-sponsors of H.R. 431, the Life at Conception Act, in alphabetical order by last name. Every House seat is up for re-election this fall, though not everyone listed is choosing to run for another term.
U.S. Representatives:
Aderholt, Robert (AL-4)
Allen, Rick W. (GA-12)
Arrington, Jodey C. (TX-19)
Babin, Brian (TX-36)
Baird, James R. (IN-4)
Balderson, Troy (OH-12)
Banks, Jim (IN-3)
Bentz, Cliff (OR-2)
Bergman, Jack (MI-1)
Biggs, Andy (AZ-5)
Bilirakis, Gus M. (FL-12)
Bishop, Dan (NC-8)
Boebert, Lauren (CO-3)
Bost, Mike (IL-12)
Brecheen, Josh (OK-2)
Buck, Ken (CO-4)
Bucshon, Larry (IN-8)
Burchett, Tim (TN-2)
Burlison, Eric (MO-7)
Cammack, Kat (FL-3)
Carey, Mike (OH-15)
Carl, Jerry L. (AL-1)
Carter, Earl L. “Buddy” (GA-1)
Carter, John R. (TX-31)
Cline, Ben (VA-6)
Cloud, Michael (TX-27)
Clyde, Andrew S. (GA-9)
Cole, Tom (OK-4)
Collins, Mike (GA-10)
Comer, James (KY-1)
Crane, Elijah (AZ-2)
Crawford, Eric A. “Rick” (AR-1)
Davidson, Warren (OH-8)
Duncan, Jeff (SC-3)
Dunn, Neal P. (FL-2)
Ellzey, Jake (TX-6)
Estes, Ron (KS-4)
Ezell, Mike (MS-4)
Fallon, Pat (TX-4)
Feenstra, Randy (IA-4)
Finstad, Brad (MN-1)
Fischbach, Michelle (MN-7)
Fitzgerald, Scott (WI-5)
Fleischmann, Charles J. “Chuck” (TN-3)
Flood, Mike (NE-1)
Foxx, Virginia (NC-5)
Franklin, C. Scott (FL-18)
Gallagher, Mike (WI-8)
Gonzales, Tony (TX-23)
Good, Bob (VA-5)
Gooden, Lance (TX-5)
Gosar, Paul A. (AZ-9)
Graves, Garret (LA-6)
Graves, Sam (MO-6)
Green, Mark E. (TN-7)
Greene, Marjorie Taylor (GA-14)
Grothman, Glenn (WI-6)
Guest, Michael (MS-3)
Guthrie, Brett (KY-2)
Harris, Andy (MD-1)
Harshbarger, Diana (TN-1)
Higgins, Clay (LA-3)
Hinson, Ashley (IA-2)
Hudson, Richard (NC-9)
Huizenga, Bill (MI-4)
Hunt, Wesley (TX-38)
Issa, Darrell E. (CA-48)
Jackson, Ronny (TX-13)
Johnson, Bill (OH-6)
Johnson, Dusty (SD-At Large)
Johnson, Mike (LA-4)
Joyce, John (PA-13)
Kelly, Trent (MS-1)
Kustoff, David (TN-8)
LaHood, Darin (IL-16)
LaMalfa, Doug (CA-1)
Lamborn, Doug (CO-5)
Latta, Robert E. (OH-5)
LaTurner, Jake (KS-2)
Lesko, Debbie (AZ-8)
Loudermilk, Barry (GA-11)
Luetkemeyer, Blaine (MO-3)
Mann, Tracey (KS-1)
Massie, Thomas (KY-4)
Mast, Brian J. (FL-21)
McClain, Lisa C. (MI-9)
McCormick, Richard (GA-6)
McMorris Rodgers, Cathy (WA-5)
Miller, Carol D. (WV-1)
Miller, Mary E. (IL-15)
Moolenaar, John R. (MI-2)
Mooney, Alexander X. (WV-2)
Moore, Barry (AL-2)
Moran, Nathaniel (TX-1)
Murphy, Gregory (NC-3)
Ogles, Andrew (TN-5)
Owens, Burgess (UT-4)
Palmer, Gary J. (AL-6)
Perry, Scott (PA-10)
Pfluger, August (TX-11)
Reschenthaler, Guy (PA-14)
Rogers, Mike D. (AL-3)
Rose, John W. (TN-6)
Rosendale Sr., Matthew M. (MT-2)
Rouzer, David (NC-7)
Rutherford, John H. (FL-5)
Scott, Austin (GA-8)
Self, Keith (TX-3)
Sessions, Pete (TX-17)
Simpson, Michael K. (ID-2)
Smith, Adrian (NE-3)
Smucker, Lloyd (PA-11)
Stauber, Pete (MN-8)
Steel, Michelle (CA-45)
Steube, W. Gregory (FL-17)
Tenney, Claudia (NY-24)
Thompson, Glenn (PA-15)
Timmons, William R. IV (SC-4)
Van Duyne, Beth (TX-24)
Waltz, Michael (FL-6)
Weber, Randy K., Sr. (TX-14)
Westerman, Bruce (AR-4)
Williams, Roger (TX-25)
Wilson, Joe (SC-2)
Yakym, Rudy (IN-2)
Bonus: While there’s no Senate companion bill for this Congressional term (2023-2024), last term, 19 Senators cosponsored the Life at Conception Act. Here are the sponsors of S. 99, with an asterisk denoting the lawmakers up for re-election this year.
U.S. Senators who sponsored a 2021 bill:
Blackburn, Marsha (TN)*
Boozman, John (AR)
Braun, Mike (IN)*
Cramer, Kevin (ND)*
Crapo, Mike (ID)
Daines, Steve (MT)
Hagerty, Bill (TN)
Hoeven, John (ND)
Inhofe, James M. (OK)
Kennedy, John (LA)
Lankford, James (OK)
Marshall, Roger (KS)
Paul, Rand (KY)
Risch, James E. (ID)
Rounds, Mike (SD)
Scott, Tim (SC)
Thune, John (SD)
Tuberville, Tommy (AL)
Wicker, Roger F. (MS)*
So, keep all this in mind when voting in November!