Cruz slams Democratic IVF bill: 'empty show vote'

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., on Tuesday slammed the Democratic-led Senate's IVF legislation, suggesting that the party had only introduced the plan to stoke voter fears.

"My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are staging an empty show vote on what they call an IVF bill in order to stoke baseless fears on IVF and push their broader political agenda," Cruz said on the Senate floor.

He added that there is not a single senator whether left or right that wants to ban IVF. 

The legislation would protect American families' access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) nationally and require health insurance companies to cover fertility treatments. Republicans blocked the measure in June, arguing the Right to IVF Act is an attempt to take abortion law away from states.

"I previously voted against the Democrats' legislation because it's not an IVF bill," Cruz said. "It's designed to backdoor and federalize broad abortion legislation which I understand is the Democrats' partisan position."

He added that the bill goes against the "conscience protections of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act."

Cruz went on to promote a bill he and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., have introduced in the past, titled "The IVF Protection Act."