Infertility Advocates to Meet with Congress to Gain Support for the Family Act, S 965 / HR 3522

RESOLVE Hosts Advocacy Event During National Infertility Awareness Week®

(April 23, 2012, McLean, VA)  As a key event during National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW), RESOLVE:  The National Infertility Association will welcome more than 75 women and men from across the country to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, for its Advocacy Day.  Infertility advocates will meet with Members of Congress to gain support for the Family Act of 2011, S 965 / HR 3522, a bill that will provide eligible taxpayers a tax credit for the out-of-pocket expenses associated with infertility medical treatment. 

One in eight U.S. couples of childbearing age is diagnosed with infertility.  On Advocacy Day, the RESOLVE community, including volunteers, patients, physicians, and friends and family who care about people with infertility, will meet with Members of Congress to share their personal experiences and educate our elected officials about the disease of infertility and the needs of the people who are diagnosed.

“With infertility patients feeling ignored and their family-building rights threatened across the country, we need to raise our collective voice and ensure our lawmakers do something positive for this community,” said Barbara Collura, RESOLVE’s Executive Director. “Advocacy Day will empower our grassroots supporters to share their story and seek support from their elected officials.”

Introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman John Lewis (GA), the Family Act will provide a tax credit for people diagnosed with infertility who need IVF treatment and those with cancer preserve their fertility.  This bill will potentially help thousands of people seek medical treatment that otherwise would be out of reach for them.

“I hear every day how infertility goes untreated because of financial barriers,” said Risa A. Levine, Esq., RESOLVE Board Director and Advocacy Day Chair.  “The Family Act will help reduce the financial burden so many of us face when we are diagnosed with infertility.  2012 is the year the Family Act must be signed into law, and I look forward to working with our RESOLVE advocates to make sure Congress gets this message loud and clear.”

For more information, visit www.resolve.org/advocacyday.

About RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association:  Established in 1974, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association is a non-profit organization with the only established, nationwide network mandated to promote reproductive health and to ensure equal access to all family building options for men and women experiencing infertility or other reproductive disorders. One in eight U.S. couples of childbearing age is diagnosed with infertility. RESOLVE addresses this public health issue by providing community to these women and men, connecting them with others who can help, empowering them to find resolution and giving voice to their demands for access to all family building options.  For more information, visit www.RESOLVE.org.

National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW), a movement founded by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, raises awareness about the disease of infertility and encourages the public to take charge of their reproductive health.  Each year the infertility community comes together for one week to focus on ensuring that people trying to conceive know the guidelines for seeing a specialist when they are trying to conceive; enhancing public understanding that infertility is a disease that needs and deserves attention; and educating legislators about the disease of infertility and how it impacts people in their state. In 2010 NIAW became a federally recognized health observance by the Department of Health and Human Services.  For more information, visit www.resolve.org/niaw.