Friends — this morning, the New York Times published an interview with me discussing my egg freezing journey and my legislation to expand fertility coverage for members of the military.
(This is a pretty long email so if you don’t have time to read the whole thing, I’ll ask right now: Will you sign this petition in support of my legislation to include fertility treatments in the health care coverage our military receives? I’m working to get a big show of support before the House passes our annual defense spending bill.)
So: I’m 36, and I want kids one day. But I also spend six hours on a plane twice a week flying back and forth between San Diego and Washington, DC — and when I’m not in the air, my job is the busiest it’s ever been, and the stakes the highest they’ve ever been. So doing what I can to increase my chances of successfully starting a family later on is a no-brainer to me.
I froze some eggs in 2021 but my doctor recommended I do another round of egg retrieval, so I spent time during our August district work period getting daily blood work, giving myself shots, and taking estrogen pills — resulting in 11 eggs being retrieved.
Why am I telling you this, and why did I talk to the NYT about it?
Well, for one thing, I really believe that we need to dispel the stigma around freezing your eggs. It shouldn't be thought of as something you have to do if, for whatever reason, you aren’t in a position to have a baby during medically prime reproductive years — instead, I look at it as empowering. I’m taking agency in my life and my future, and making the right decision for myself.
Beyond ending these outdated and pointless stigmas, I also want to educate my colleagues in Congress about all of this. For my generation, conversations about fertility treatments, egg freezing, or IVF aren’t unusual — they’re a normal part of planning for the future. But Congress is still dominated by older men who’ve never had to think about any of this — let alone address it in thoughtful legislation! I believe that’s part of why our laws are out of step with the lives we’re actually living, and I’m working to change that.
Finally, I’m working hard to pass this legislation to expand coverage of fertility treatments to members of the military and their dependents — and if talking about my own experience helps drive awareness and attention to it, I’m more than happy to do that.
Why do we need this legislation? Freezing your eggs is really freaking expensive. I’m extremely fortunate to be able to pay out-of-pocket — but I’m well aware that the vast majority of Americans can’t do that. A lot of private-sector insurance plans cover fertility treatments including IVF and egg freezing — including the plans that Members of Congress have access to. But the health care our military gets doesn’t. That’s just wrong.
We ask our service members to deploy during their prime reproductive years, spend time away from their partners or spouses, and expose themselves to high-risk environments — it’s no coincidence that military families experience a higher rate of infertility than civilians. And unless we expand fertility coverage, we’re also asking them to pick between having a family and serving their country.
I refuse to make that request of the remarkable people who have volunteered to serve — which is why I wrote this legislation and why I pushed for it to be included in this year’s defense spending bill, the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act).
I did the same thing last year, but Speaker Mike Johnson personally insisted on removing it during final negotiations. (Why? You’d have to ask him, but I’m pretty sure whatever his reason, it’s a bad one.)
So this year I’m asking for your loud support! If you agree our military service members deserve to have fertility treatments covered by insurance just like private-sector workers, please add your name today.
After you sign, will you forward this email to a few friends who could sign on, too? The more attention we can get on this, the better a shot we have at getting it passed.
If you want to read the full New York Times article, you can do that here.
Thanks so much for reading and for your support.
-Sara
