WASHINGTON—Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, has issued the following statement after the Senate approved a bill Thursday, Dec. 13, that would end the Department of Veterans Affairs’ ban on in vitro fertilization for disabled veterans. The bill was authored by Sen. Patty Murray, and Larsen introduced a companion version of the bill in the House of Representatives.

“These veterans have already paid too high a price in service to our nation. They should not have to pay a higher cost to have a family,” Larsen said. “I applaud Sen. Murray’s leadership on this issue and look forward to working with her and my colleagues in the House to pass this bill. Now that the Senate has spoken with a unified voice, there is no reason that the House shouldn’t vote to give the hundreds of veterans and their families struggling with infertility the care they deserve.”

Murray and Larsen discussed this bill with disabled veterans and their families in Seattle in October. These veterans have either used or need to use in vitro fertilization to conceive children because of service-connected disabilities.

Representatives from Larsen’s office said the hope now is that lawmakers will make the bill a priority and vote on it before the end of the year.