Stand with IVF Decries Removal of Fertility Provisions from Defense Bill

CONTACT: Press@StandwithIVF.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 9, 2025 – Arlington, VA – As Congress works to enact the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2026, Stand with IVF decries the removal of fertility provisions from this defense bill; disappointingly, press reports indicate that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) blocked a provision to provide fertility and IVF benefits to active-duty members of the military, even after both chambers of Congress had approved legislation that included this important benefit.

“Anyone who doesn’t believe that there are anti-IVF forces in Congress out to eradicate IVF as a family option for millions of Americans isn’t paying attention. This action is a signal that IVF is a target,” said Nidhi Desai, National Spokesperson for Stand with IVF.

“The Speaker’s shameful secret, backroom, middle of the night unilateral action defies the will of Congress and the wishes of the American people and will prevent families from having the children the so desperately want.”

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Stand with IVF Announces Launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stand with IVF Announces Launch

Sept. 17, 2024 - ARLINGTON, VA - Today, Stand with IVF announces its launch as a new voice to educate, advocate, and raise awareness about threats to access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and the constellation of services and private medical decisions that support it.

IVF is under threat. Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a shocking ruling that shut down IVF services in Alabama and caused chaos across the nation. The decision opened up IVF parents and providers to legal liability, undermined IVF access, and interfered in private medical decisions. It created massive uncertainty for hopeful parents trying to grow their families through IVF, calling into question control of their embryos, and even the freedom to access IVF at all.

“My heart went out to those families that were going to experience enormous mental anguish as a consequence of the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision,” said Michaela Sims, President and Co-founder of Stand with IVF. “Over the past few months, I increasingly began to appreciate that a massive education effort would be needed for people to understand how and why IVF is under threat and the impact it may have on those who have grown or want to grow their families through IVF.” Sims is a seasoned government relations professional who first went through IVF before she and her husband chose to grow their family through adoption. 

Stand with IVF Co-founder, Nidhi Desai, a national leader and attorney specializing in assisted reproductive technology (ART), said: “Once the Dobbs decision eliminated federal protections for women’s reproductive health, it was only a matter of time before IVF and its related services would be put at risk. We’ve seen this opposition increase at the state level, in places like Alabama, where women’s reproductive freedom, including IVF, is in peril. Desai serves as the ART policy director for the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA). AAAA is an organization of credentialed attorneys dedicated to the ethical practice of ART law.  She also serves in an advisory capacity to many stakeholder organizations and is a sought-after voice on many policy and legal aspects of IVF.

Stand with IVF is a 501(c)(4) organization that will work to educate the American public about IVF and threats to IVF access, while building a movement to fight to protect IVF in the coming years. IVF’s Board includes Sims, Desai, and David Di Martino, a strategic communications professional based in Washington, D.C. Ted Prettyman of Sims Strategies is the Vice President of Operations for Stand with IVF.

Stand with IVF. Join us at www.StandwithIVF.org and on social media on Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter.

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