FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 29, 2024
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Liz Polmanski, Deputy Chief of Staff
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COOK COUNTY PROTECTS FERTILITY FREEDOM
Commissioner Scott Britton Leads Cook County Board of Commissioners to pass Resolution safeguarding assisted reproductive technologies, in vitro fertilization
CHICAGO – Yesterday, at the February meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Scott Britton (D-14) unanimously passed a Resolution in support of the right to fertility, safeguarding fertility preservation, and protecting the medical technologies that expand access to that right, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“The right to medically assisted reproduction techniques is personal for me. Thanks to IVF – and a final available embryo - I am blessed to have my son,” said Commissioner Britton. “Medically assisted reproduction techniques allow people to thoughtfully plan their futures, without being subjugated to the outsized burdens of biological time, financial readiness, or heteronormative cisgendered partnership.”
In passing the Resolution, the Cook County Board of Commissioners declared its unequivocal support for in vitro fertilization and all methods of family formation. In doing so, the elected body codified Cook County’s protection of reproductive rights and freedoms of people to give birth with or without medically assisted reproduction techniques.
"I am proud to stand with the Cook County Board of Commissioners in declaring our unwavering support for the right to medically assisted reproduction techniques," said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. "Access to fertility treatment is a fundamental human right, and individuals deserve the autonomy to make decisions about their reproductive health without undue interference. By safeguarding these rights, we uphold the principles of equity and dignity for all."
Studies show that individuals empowered to give birth when they choose to do so, rather than be beholden to a biological timeline, see outcomes of increased emotional maturity and financial stability, and experience higher salaries.
Fertility as a basic human right is under attack. Fertility freedom means that people who can give birth have the ability to decide when and if they birth children, the number of children they have, and the spacing between their children's births. Safe, proven, medically assisted reproduction technology empowers everyone - especially same-sex families, individuals undergoing Cancer treatment, single parents, those facing infertility, older parents, and those with genetic disorders in their family history - to make the best, healthiest, most prosperous, and safest choice for themselves.
On February 16, 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that extrauterine embryos frozen in test tubes should be considered children with civil rights. The unprecedented decision updated the state's 1872 Wrongful Death of a Minor Act to allow parents to sue over the wrongful death of “unborn children,” with no exception for “extrauterine children." On February 28, 2024, S.3612: Access to Family Building Act, a federal effort to enshrine popular protections for those who use in vitro fertilization, insurers who cover the treatment, and the doctors who perform the procedure, was blocked by one Senator.
Read the Resolution: https://cook-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6559372&GUID=B5B4C52A-A2B9-421A-88F9-54AFF33E7B1A&Options=&Search=
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