IVF

A decades-old Missouri law states life begins at conception, which some IVF patients worry puts the procedure at risk. Fertility lawyer Tim Schlesinger said court cases protect the in vitro fertilization, for now.

Despite outcries from families following the temporary shuttering of IVF in Alabama earlier this year, Missouri lawmakers failed to pass legislation guaranteeing the procedure.

Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.

A question about whether abortion protections should be codified will not make it onto this year’s general election ballot.

Newly introduced legislation in Illinois seeks to expand insurance coverage or offer incentives for fertility care.

"It’s more like gambling than it is health care," said one woman about infertility treatments, "because you’re wagering significant amounts of money... and you might come out with nothing."