ATLANTA — Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns said one of his priorities for the legislative session starting in less than a week is to ensure Georgians have access to in vitro fertilization treatments.
The House Speaker’s announcement on Wednesday was accompanied by data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which shows 19% of American women struggle with infertility.
“In-vitro fertilization has been proven to be a safe and effective way to assist those struggling to conceive and is additionally used to preserve fertility for patients with cancer and other medical conditions to provide greater chances for future family building,” the Speaker’s statement reads.
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“Millions of American families rely on medical intervention and treatment to start or grow their families, and here in Georgia—over 2,900 children were conceived using IVF in 2021,” Burns said in a statement. “In light of a recent ruling from our neighboring state’s Supreme Court, the Georgia House will take proactive measures to codify protections for this life-changing care, keeping the dream of parenthood alive for countless women and families.”
In his statement Burns was referring to Alabama, whose highest court set off a storm of debate and concern over the availability and support for IVF to help couples start families in February when the court ruled frozen embryos were children under state law.
That ruling forced fertility clinics in Alabama to halt some of their operations over fear that doctors could be prosecuted for destroying unused embryos.
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Channel 2 Action News reported when Georgia lawmakers attempted to pass legislation in the 2024 legislative session to protect IVF, and top lawmakers expressed their support, but the legislation did not make it to the governor’s desk.
In March, the Alabama legislature moved to protect IVF access due to the response to the court’s decision.
Then in June, Burns said he supported protecting IVF in Georgia and would make it a priority for the 2025 legislative session.
Calling IVF a “life-changing blessing” for potential parents, Burns said the Georgia General Assembly would work to ensure they pass legislation to “enshrine those protections in law.”
“In Georgia, we will continue to support happy, healthy and growing families at every step of the way,” Burns said in June.
However, despite those promises, Channel 2′s Candace McCowan spoke to families who are still worried about the legal landscape in Georgia, both for IVF and abortion rights.
“I’ve always hoped for something like that, to have a large family that has a little bit of crazy going on but was going to be there for each other,” Laura Baston said.
Baston had a daughter but then struggled after with a miscarriage and then ectopic pregnancy. Baston told Channel 2 Action News that the state’s laws on abortion were still a concern and that if she continues to have pregnancy complications while trying to grow her family, she might not be able to get the help she needs.
Currently, Georgia’s abortion bill, which puts a limit on when an expectant mother is able to have an abortion, is making its way through court, though the Georgia Supreme Court ruled to reinstate the law after it was overturned in October while appeals are underway.
As far as IVF treatment in Georgia, the CDC reports that 10 clinics provided the service in the state in 2022.
In the most recent available data, the CDC said 6,502 assisted reproductive technology procedures were performed in 2022. While IVF is the most common type of ART, there are other clinical options available for addressing infertility. Of those, there were 3,126 pregnancies attributed to ART procedures in the state and 2,522 live-birth deliveries.
The 2025 legislative session in Georgia begins on Jan. 13.
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