Infertility, Infertility Advocacy

Meet me at Advocacy Day!

March 8, 2013

I can’t wait for this year’s Advocacy Day sponsored by RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association. And, I invite you to come meet Erick and I there.

Also, I have some questions for you. I would be so appreciative if you guys could reply in the comments below.

Questions for you

  1. Have you heard of Infertility Advocacy Day?
  2. Have you ever considering attending? Why or why not?
  3. If you knew other bloggers or friends were going, would you be more likely to go?

What is Advocacy Day and how does it work?

Advocacy Day is an opportunity to gather together in our nation’s capitol with others facing infertility from across the country.  RESOLVE plans everything and sets up all of the appointments.  All you have to do is show up. At the beginning of the day, we all attend a breakfast and welcome reception where we are trained on the issues and get to talk to others. We get to hear from our inspirational leaders and get fired up for the day.

For the appointments with the Senators and Congressional Representatives, you will be  paired up with others from your state and/or with RESOLVE volunteers, staff or board members.  Then, we all break off and go to our meetings.  Later, we meet back up for snacks and to share stories from our day.

Why?

This year, we will be advocating for The Family Act, which is a tax credit for IVF, similar to the adoption tax credit.

What is a tax credit? A tax credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in your tax liability. If your tax liability is $1,000 and you have a $500 tax credit, your liability is cut to $500.

If we could get this passed, it would make IVF more accessible and more affordable for YOU and for so many people.  It would allow you to get HALF of your money back as a tax credit, for up to $25,300 out-of-pocket.  That means IVF could cost HALF of what it does and you could get up to $12,650 as a tax credit.  Isn’t that worth fighting for?

Advocacy Day Information

Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 (There’s also a cocktail reception the night before on May 7, 2013)
Where: Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

My experience last year

Last year, Advocacy Day was an amazingly empowering experience and I was so proud and happy to share it with my husband beside me.   If you have never done anything like this, I can’t stress to you enough how important it is.  You do have a voice, no matter how much apathetic people will tell you that you don’t.  Congressional representatives will listen to you.  And, when they start to get enough visits, phone calls and letters — they will take notice of the issue!   It feels good to actually do something about the issues that you care about.  And, for me, this is a way to take back some of the power that infertility has stolen from me.  See this post for a recap of our day last year.

Reasons You Should Come

  • You get to fight for yourself (and others) and it feels GOOD!
  • You get to stand up to infertility!
  • You get to meet other strong women and men going through infertility from across the country.  Plan for your online support group to have a meet-up in DC and attend together!  Also, I would love to meet some of you!  You’ll at least know me.
  • You get the experience of walking the vaunted halls of the Senate and House buildings.  You can even eat at the Senate cafeteria.
  • You get meet with senators and Congressmen — it’s a great experience.
  • You get to see beautiful Washington, D.C. in the spring.

Questions?

If you would consider coming and have any questions for me, please ask away!  Also, I’d really appreciate your thoughts and feedback!

Resources + Connect

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4 Comments

  • Reply Katie March 8, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    Can’t wait to see you there!

  • Reply Jenn N March 9, 2013 at 7:34 am

    Yes, I have heard of it through reading the RESOLVE website. I have slightly considered attending simply for the experience of representing others like me who struggle with the costs associated with infertility treatments. I will have to ask the RVA RESOLVE support group I belong to, whether or not any of them have gone or would be interested in going. We have never discussed it as of yet. Yes, if I knew friends were going I would be more likely to go. Hope this helps you!

  • Reply Jessica March 9, 2013 at 9:24 am

    I’ve heard about it, but only from your blog post last year. I live pretty far away, so I don’t think it would be possible for me to go, but it sounds amazing! Perhaps when my kiddos are a little older 🙂 I would love the opportunity to meet you and other bloggers!

  • Reply Angelica March 30, 2013 at 8:59 am

    Whitney, My husband & I are registered for Advocacy Day! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me and answering all my questions. I’m so lucky that RESOLVE introduced me to you. You are amazing! Can’t wait to meet you on Capitol Hill, Angelica

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