Editors Note: Dr. Larsen posted this response on the blog, but I felt it should be a featured post, in an effort to get the Arizona Senate to be more forthcoming about what it is they are trying to “find out about what’s going on in IVF labs”.
I have forwarded this to all the Senators, in the hope they will provide some kind of clarity that counters Dr. Larsen’s observation that SB 1376 is little more than legislation in search of a problem.
Special thanks to Dr. Larsen for taking the time to comment on this and to continue to provide the infertility clinic perspective to battle these legislative witch hunts.
Mr Ceizyk,
Thanks for your blogging about this as an issue.
This is Dr Larsen here. I thank you for watching the senate hearing.
I am glad that you picked up my comment of “this is legislation in search of a problem”.
They can’t come up with any particular cases of malpractice or concern for mismanagement in the state of Arizona, or even anyone clamoring for more regulation of IVF/infertility, EXCEPT by those who are against what we do (for whatever reason).
Sen Barto asked me not to try to attribute motives to them.
I have a hard time with that because I have seen what they have tried to do already.
Over the past 4 years, I have had to testify each and every year against a bill that is designed to chip away at infertility care here in Arizona.
In fact, within the past two years they HAVE introduced legislation to prohibit couples from disposing of their embryos how they saw fit. This is their goal.
They have also already tried to ban compensation for egg donors.
They have tried to force us as fertility clinics to disclose private information about their parents to children born to those who needed to use donor eggs or donor sperm to get pregnant.
They have lost every time and as such, are trying to just “study” things.
It’s government speak for wanting to go on a fishing expedition and hope they catch something that they can then use against us somehow.
Hopefully the vote goes our way! Thanks again for the blog, the mention and getting people to contact their senators…
Fred Larsen MD