Lankford, Hyde-Smith Reintroduce Bill to Strengthen Support for Families Struggling with Infertility

Legislation Promotes Restorative Reproductive Medicine Through Existing Federal Programs

WASHINGTON, DC – US Senators James Lankford (R-OK), chair of the Senate Values Action Team, Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, Chuck Grassley (R-IA), President Pro Tempore and John Cornyn (R-TX)introduced legislation to provide couples with more personalized and effective infertility treatment to help them choose how and when to grow their families.

The Reproductive Empowerment and Support through Optimal Restoration (RESTORE) Act would build support for the 15 to 16 percent of couples in the United States affected by infertility. By utilizing current federal resources to support education, training, and access to care, the bill is designed to be cost-neutral.

“Infertility is one of the most difficult challenges couples can face, and most Americans have either faced or know someone who is facing the difficult journey to have a baby.  The RESTORE Act prioritizes addressing the underlying causes of infertility through restorative reproductive medicine. This approach is specifically designed to diagnose and treat a variety of reproductive health conditions in both men and women to restore the long-term health of our families and help them bring the miracle of life into the world,” said Senator Lankford.

“So many couples of today’s childbearing-aged generations face an uphill battle with fertility struggles that are complex and unique to every woman and man.  The holistic fertility policy promoted through the RESTORE Act aims to treat the root causes of infertility, many of which stem from chronic conditions and environmental factors that are the focus of President Trump’s MAHA movement,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.  “If we are going to truly support women and men who are ready to embrace parenthood, then we should promote substantive fertility solutions that ensure access to restorative reproductive medicine—fully healing couples and empowering them with autonomy over how they start and build their families.”

The legislation specifically aims to address reproductive health conditions that often contribute to infertility and painful menstrual cycles, including endometriosis, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes, hormone imbalances, hyperprolactinemia, thyroid conditions, and ovulation dysfunctions.

Key provisions of the RESTORE Act include:

1. Developing educational tools for women seeking information about reproductive health conditions and restorative reproductive medicine.
2. Providing training opportunities for medical professionals to learn how to diagnose and treat reproductive health conditions.
3. Directing the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health to conduct data collection and implement ongoing reports to assess the access women and men have to restorative reproductive medicine and infertility care through proper testing, diagnosis, and treatment of reproductive conditions.
4. Promoting, through existing funding opportunities in Title X and the HHS Office of Population Affairs, medical training for medical students and professionals who feel called to truly help women and men struggling with reproductive health conditions and infertility.
5. Advancing lifestyle medicine prescriptions as a method for treating male infertility.
6. Directing HHS, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and all relevant panels to update the diagnostic and procedural codes related to infertility that implement the practice of restorative reproductive medicine.

The RESTORE Act works to address the fertility concerns of our childbearing-aged generations in a cost-effective manner with a holistic approach to healing infertility.  First introduced in the 118th Congress, the legislation has been updated to offer more substantive solutions that focus on ensuring access to holistic fertility treatment and restorative reproductive medicine for both women and men.

The legislation is supported by the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) Action, Americans United for Life, Ethics & Public Policy Center, Heritage Action for America, and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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