Tomorrow brave many brave infertility advocates associated with Resolve will descend on Washington DC to plead their case to Congress and foster an understanding of the infertility community’s needs on Advocacy Day. If you don’t know about this incredible effort, you need to check out this link: www.resolve.org/advocacyday
I pray they are received with open minds and open hearts, because they are some of the bravest and most family focused people that Congress is going to meet.
This country was founded with the idea that we all have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Pursuing the happiness of parenthood for millions of childbearing Americans diagnosed with infertility every year is becoming more challenging.
The costs of medical procedures related to fertility continue to rise.
The anti-family building forces that would like to limit access to family building options for infertile couples continue to introduce legislation to further their agendas.
That’s why this year’s advocacy day is more important than ever.
As the father of a formerly frozen embryo I know the happiness that IVF helped bring into our lives.
I can’t imagine what would have happened if our soul baby pursuits had been delayed because the Arizona state legislature was demanding a tracking report from our infertility doctor so they could assess “what was going on” in IVF labs.
A focused effort by advocates in Arizona helped prevent that bill and its embryo tracking requirement from seeing the light of day.
As infertility patients, we are acutely aware that biological time is not on our side.
The cost of infertility treatments continues to rise into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Yet very few states offer little, if any coverage.
We chose to borrow money, charge credit cards, and risk financial damage for a 50/50 chance at having a child.
It paid off.
Yet for most people, financial aid is elusive.
I would imagine our forefathers were also referring to having a family as part of the pursuit of happiness.
Yet the passage of the Family Act of 2011 has remained elusive.
Congress found a way to give $8000 tax credits to buy houses a few years ago.
Several thousands of dollars of tax credits went to Americans for the cash for clunkers program.
The tax credit being proposed by the Family Act to cover some of the expenses of assisted reproduction would be capped at a lifetime maximum of $13,360.
If Congress has found a way to pass tax credits to promote home and new car ownership in the last five years, how is it possible that a tax credit to enable couples to have a LIFETIME credit of $13,360 towards medical expenses related to the pursuit of “parenthood happiness” is still not a reality?
I hope that this year the efforts or Resolve’s Advocacy Day will result in the Family Act of 2011 becoming a reality before the end of 2013.