Illinois voters to face advisory question on ballot regarding reproductive healthcare

Illinois voters to face advisory question on ballot regarding reproductive healthcare

PEORIA (25News Now)—Illinois voters will face several advisory questions as they cast their ballots this election season. One of those is expanding assistance and accessibility to reproductive healthcare.

In the United States, about 11% of women and 9% of men have experienced fertility problems.

This election cycle, state legislators are asking if all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatment, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization, be covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides coverage for pregnancy benefits without limitation on the number of treatments.

“The absolute costs of what we do are not high; it’s that they’re not covered,” said Dr. Jenny Hirshfeld-Cytron, the Vice President and IVF Director at the Fertility Centers of Illinois.

Dr. Hirshfeld-Cytron added that an IVF patient could spend an average of around $15,000 on treatments.

Voting yes to this question supports the potential referendum, but voting no opposes it.

“It allows voters to weigh in through a non-binding advisory question that would give clear guidance to their legislators in Springfield, including myself, as to the importance of ensuring that fertility treatment is accessible to women across Illinois,” explained State Representative Darmara Avelar (D) for the 85th District.

An opposing group, Illinois Right to Life, urges people to vote no on the matter due to moral concerns.

“There is a creation of so many embryos that are not used, and so because we believe that life begins at the moment of fertilization, we believe those babies deserve a right to life as well,” said Molly Rumley, a lobbyist with Illinois Right to Life.

Dr. Hirshfeld-Cytron advocated that fertility treatment access has been overlooked for far too long when so many people are affected.

“Being a parent shouldn’t be limited to someone who has access to care, whether they can afford it, they’re in a state that provides coverage, or politically it’s there,” said Dr. Hirshfeld-cytron. “This is a medical illness; this isn’t an elective thing people opt for. It would be really challenging living in a country that proposes to provide the best care in the world when we would limit something that helps one in six.”

You can watch 25News – any newscast, anywhere – streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.

link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *