RESTORE Act

Reproductive Empowerment and Support Through Optimal Restoration Act or the RESTORE ACT

This bill explicitly prohibits penalizing health care providers for declining to participate in assisted reproductive technology (e.g., in vitro fertilization). It also modifies services and training relating to reproductive health, especially to support an approach the bill refers to as restorative reproductive medicine. The bill describes restorative reproductive medicine as using methods such as monitoring reproductive health and addressing health conditions that may cause infertility (e.g., endometriosis) to restore reproductive function without using methods such as assisted reproductive technology.

The bill prohibits the federal government and entities receiving federal funding from penalizing health care providers that decline to (1) participate in assisted reproductive technology, or (2) facilitate such activities due to religious beliefs or moral convictions.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must update the medical codes for classifying infertility treatments to reflect the latest practices for restorative reproductive medicine.

Also, HHS must expand the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program to include grants to entities focusing on restorative reproductive medicine. HHS must also deem entities providing or teaching restorative reproductive medicine eligible for certain family planning grants, when otherwise eligible.

Additionally, HHS must

• issue reports every three years on the standards of care for diagnosing infertility and reproductive health conditions,
• require the Reproductive Health National Training Center to provide training on restorative reproductive medicine,
• develop education within HHS programs on treating male infertility, and
• expand research on restorative reproductive medicine and reproductive health conditions.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov