[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist Dr. Amanda Adeleye will be her 2024 State of the Union guest as part of the Senator’s continuing efforts to protect access in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Dr. Adeleye is the Medical Director of CCRM Fertility’s Chicago-area center, where she specializes in reproductive endocrinology and fertility. In the wake of Alabama’s State Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos created during the IVF process are “children” under state law, Duckworth has been vocal on the need to pass her Access to Family Building Act to protect IVF access nationwide.
“For years, even before the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, I’ve sounded the alarm that Republicans’ decades-long campaign to rob women of their right to make decisions about their healthcare and bodies would eventually put IVF and other ART at risk,” Duckworth said. “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. I’m proud to have Dr. Adeleye as my State of the Union guest this year to remind Americans just how critical this work is and the importance of protecting IVF access.”
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“I am incredibly honored to be invited as Senator Duckworth’s guest for the State of the Union,” said Adeleye. “I believe that people should be able to build the family of their dreams. Sometimes this requires assistance with treatments such as in vitro fertilization. Access to fertility care is critical and making it explicit through a bill like the Access to Family Building Act is so important as access to broader reproductive rights are challenged. In a country as wonderful as the United States, I believe we should all have the right and the access to build the loving family we have hoped for.”
Duckworth is the lead sponsor of the Access to Family Building Act, legislation that would establish a statutory right to access IVF for all Americans who need it to start or grow a family. Last week, Duckworth led a group of Senate Democrats in calling for the bill’s passage through unanimous consent, but U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) objected, blocking the effort. This is the second time Senate Republicans have blocked Duckworth-led legislation that would protect access to IVF nationwide. The Access to Family Building Act builds on previous legislation she introduced in 2022. Duckworth was the first Senator to give birth while serving in office and had both of her children with the help of IVF.
Amanda Adeleye, MD, is the Medical Director for CCRM Fertility’s Chicago-area clinics. She is double board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Adeleye is devoted to using research to close the gap on fertility-related healthcare disparities. Her research interests include increasing access to care and education for the LGBTQ+ community and to people of color. She is a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
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