The Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling that fertilized eggs — embryos — are children should be yet another terrifying wake-up call to anyone, regardless of gender, who may ever want to have children. Already, Alabama health care providers have paused IVF procedures, fearing prosecution if the embryos used with parents’ consent do not survive. Thankfully, the Alabama lawmakers Thursday advanced legislation that would extend lawsuit protections to clinics.
Here in Illinois, we’ve led the way to protect access to abortion, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other reproductive medicine, regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court may do. However, it would be foolish to rest on our laurels. Quite the opposite — it’s on states like Illinois to make access to IVF more widely available, to destigmatize it and to allow parents to grow their families through whatever means they and a doctor agree is medically appropriate.
That’s why I’m sponsoring a bill in Springfield that will require all insurance companies in Illinois to cover expenses for standard fertility preservation and follow-up services for any interested patient, not only those who have been diagnosed with infertility. This includes services for both men and women.
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No one goes through IVF for fun, and most people agree that the standard method of impregnation for heterosexual people is vastly preferable. However, there are many reasons individuals and couples choose IVF.
Same-sex couples rely on IVF to conceive a biological child. Other couples with genetic disorders use IVF to ensure they aren’t passing on that disorder to a child. Single women like me who’ve dedicated our 20s and 30s to our careers are often told by family, friends and doctors alike to consider freezing our eggs so that we can become parents later in life, or become single parents by choice.
As a kindergarten teacher, when I looked into the IVF process, the sticker shock was insurmountable. On average, it costs $22,000 for one cycle of IVF, and most people undergo more than one cycle.
Cost should not be a barrier to conceiving a child. The fear and anxiety that many of us face who want to become parents but can’t, isn’t something anyone should have to suffer — not when the science exists to make our dreams come true.
State Sen. Natalie Toro, D-Chicago
Three cheers for Fran Spielman
If television viewers can agree that meteorologist Tom Skilling clearly deserves the accolades he has received for his many years of professional service in his field of expertise, then we should be even more grateful for the hard-nosed reporting Sun-Times Reporter Fran Spielman has given us over an even longer period as a watchdog over activities in local government that can have a bearing on the lives and pocketbooks of every resident of the metropolitan area.
It seems entirely appropriate that an article on Skilling’s “sign off” in the March 1 Sun-Times should be covered on the same page of the newspaper as Spielman’s poignant piece on the dearth of transparency in the self-styled, so-called “transparent” administration of Chicago’s current mayor.
Some may not like Spielman’s approach, but her reports clearly demonstrate the value of the freedom of the press that keeps our democracy strong. Efforts like hers are needed now more than ever as we get farther into an election year that could affect the very future of our constitutional system.
Jeffrey L. Stern, Highland Park
Immigrants — they get the job done
Countless new reports and studies have highlighted the positive impact of immigrants and immigration — including asylum seekers and refugees — on the U.S. economy in the short- and long-run. Without immigrants, our economic growth would have been slower and our inflation higher.
Philip Englert, Edgewater
Fan interference
Reporters and sports pundits are debating what to do about students storming onto football fields and basketball courts after their teams pull off an upset win. The most recent event injured a star player from Duke University. They all agree something must be done. Here’s a suggestion : storm the floor, your team forfeits the game! End of discussion!!
Wayne Lundberg, Crest Hill
All lives matter, but only if it’s a fetus
The purpose of abortion bans is to protect the fetus and keep it from harm. Now, once the fetus is born and becomes an actual baby, an actual human being, it is fair game. It can be shot, abused or hit by a car and no one is too concerned. It can be neglected, fought over like property (as in custody fights) or abandoned and few seem to care. These “pro-lifers” are only interested in the “life” of the fetus. The life of an actual person appears to interest them very little, if at all.
Lauretta Hart, West Ridge
About those sports team handouts...
Before Jerry Reinsdorf and the McCaskeys ask for taxpayer handouts (since taxpayers are the ones on the hook to pay out when the bonds fall short), maybe we should discuss them trading equity ownership in their teams to the taxpayers in exchange for new stadium subsidies.
Now that would really be community benefits.
Michael Sullivan, Avondale
Don’t sit out on voting
Primary elections in Illinois generally attract less than 20% of registered voters. That is why the incumbent has a strong advantage over those who are not connected. If you want to change the current system, it is imperative that more people vote. Don’t pass up this opportunity. It may be your last chance.
Bill Fischer, Plainfield
