Veterans deserve IVF option

Among the consequences of war and the sacrifice involved in military service are the assaults on the human body inflicted in battle, attacks and accidents.

We try to honor that sacrifice by providing medical care that heals the wounds and, as much as is medically possible, restores some function to injured bodies and minds. Some efforts are limited by the abilities of medical science to heal paralysis or treat brain injuries. But other efforts are confined not by the limits of medical treatment but by the lack of political will in Congress.

Since 1992, although invitro fertilization has been an option available to many in the general public who wish to have or add to their families but have difficulty conceiving, the procedure has been denied to military veterans. For nearly 25 years, Congress has barred the Veterans Administration from providing IVF to veterans and their spouses. Thousands of servicemembers have been denied a treatment that is beyond the ability of many to pay themselves; a single IVF treatment typically costs $12,000 or more. Through the VA, veterans are eligible for fertility assessments, counseling and some treatment, but the line, cruelly, is drawn at offering IVF.

Then as now, the typical objection to IVF has been that the medical process involves the destruction of some of the fertilized eggs that are created during the process. But IVF remains a legal medical procedure and is already available to active duty members of the military and their spouses. Denying the procedure to veterans, whose sacrifices for their country have resulted in their inability to conceive and serve the nation as parents, denies the debt owed to them by their country.

Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Washington, on Wednesday, was joined by the families of wounded veterans at a press conference in Washington, D.C., calling for an end of the ban and the funding of IVF services for veterans and their spouses with passage of the Women’s Veterans and Fmilies Health Services Act of 2015 or by repealing the ban in a spending bill. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, likewise has called for a similar lifting of the IVF ban for veterans.

Advocacy on the issue continues a long history of work in veterans’ issues for both Larsen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Murray, a longtime member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Most recently, Murray twiced tried to force votes to restore funding to a military spending bill for a related service for active duty servicemen and servicewomen. After the Defense Department announced a pilot program that would have allowed those in the armed forces to freeze sperm or eggs prior to deployment for use in IVF treatments in the event of an injury, Murray included $38 million in the spending bill for the program.

Both moves for votes were blocked by Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who thanked Murray for her advocacy for those in the military, but said he was bound to honor an objection to the proposal by an unspecified number of Republicans. The spending bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, stripped of the money for the pilot program. But another version of the bill, which includes funding for the freezing program, has already passed the House, and it could be restored during conference negotiations.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter included the program to freeze eggs and sperm as part of his Force of the Future initiatives, meant to reform the military personnel system and improve recruitment and retention.

Those who serve in the military and the veterans whose service has demanded a high price should not be denied the opportunity to begin and grow their families. The example of their service and love of country is something that deserves to be passed on to sons and daughters.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, March 29

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman takes a selfie photo before the start of a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Editorial: Initiative fee increase protects process, taxpayers

Bumped up to $156 from $5, the increase may discourage attempts to game the initiative process.

Schwab: Who was Langerhans? And when’s the ferry to his islets?

The Herald’s resident retired surgeon slices into the anatomy of the etymology of our anatomy.

Comment: Cervial cancer treatable; if you’re screened for it

A screening for cervical cancer can detect cancerous or precancerous cells and direct treatment.

Comment: Framers gave us Goldilocks Constitution; let’s use it

It was meant to be resilient, not perfect, but it has to be used as designed toward workable solutions.

Comment: GOP in Congress isn’t fighting crime; it’s arming it

Budget cuts to the FBI and ATF and other riders have made it easier for criminals to get firearms.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, March 28

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Washington state senators and representatives along with Governor Inslee and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez break ground at the Swift Orange Line on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Community Transit making most of Link’s arrival

The Lynnwood light rail station will allow the transit agency to improve routes and frequency of buses.

Protecting forests and prevent another landslide like Oso

Thank you for the powerful and heartbreaking article about the Oso landslide… Continue reading

Boeing’s downfall started when engineers demoted

Boeing used to be run by engineers who made money to build… Continue reading

Learn swimming safety to protect kids at beach, pool

Don’t forget to dive into water safety before hitting the pool or… Continue reading

An image of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is reflected in a storefront window during the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at thee Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: State of city address makes case for Everett’s future

Mayor Franklin outlines challenges and responses as the city approaches significant decisions.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.