Today, the House Appropriations Committee passed an amendment by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD-1) which would block funding of all in-vetro fertilization (IVF) procedures in the U.S. government. This amendment would cut the current DoD program that provides IVF to eligible service members and the proposed Veterans Affairs (VA) funding that IAVA and our partners including the Wounded Warrior Project, the Woodruff Foundation and Paralyzed Veterans of American have been fighting for. If passed into law, it would not only be a loss for the much needed expansion of IVF at VA, but also would take us backwards on IVF at DoD.

Over 2.8 million service members have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. Between 2001 and 2012, it’s estimated that 12 percent of the injuries sustained by service members include what is termed as genitourinary trauma, which includes injuries to the kidneys, bladder, ureters, urethra, penis, and scrotum. For some, these injuries make it impossible to start or expand their family without medical assistance. As the law currently stands, the DoD is able to offer these expansive fertility treatment options. The VA does not.

Take Action here and email your Members of Congress immediately on this issue.