Advocacy Day

At least 1 Week Prior to Advocacy Day:

• Watch training webinars: New Advocate Training Webinar and Legislative Issues Training
• Review and print out all the training documents: State Delegation Script and Talking points, Do’s and Don’ts for your Virtual Meetings, and Leave Behind Infographic.
• Meet with your State Captain and state delegation: virtually for a practice session by (Your state captain will reach out to coordinate that).
• Practice your elevator pitch and telling your story - Scroll down to the Video Library on this webpage to see example videos from fellow advocates.
• Make sure you opt into Phone2Action to receive important messages and texts throughout Advocacy Day.
• Sign the letter campaign and amplify our message. Send your letter today.
• View your Congressional schedule on Prime Advocacy's webpage and use the email you registered with. (Reminder that all schedule times are reflected in Eastern Time Zone no matter what time zone you reside in)

1 Day Before Advocacy Day: 

• Have any last-minute questions? Attend Live Cram Session via Zoom.
• View your Congressional schedule here as meeting times may have changed. (Reminder that all scheduled 8:00 am times are reflected in Eastern Time Zone no matter what time zone you reside in).
• Test out your computer audio and video.

On Advocacy Day: 

• Join morning kickoff programming before your meetings at either 8:00 am or 11:00 am EDT based on your time zone and meeting schedule. 
• Check in with your State Captain/Regional Leader by 9:00 am in your time zone.
• Have your laptop out and printed training documents to view.
• Jump on your calls 5 minutes prior to prepare.
• Engage in social media throughout the day through social media and use the selfie signs - Coming soon.
• After your calls join the Zoom debrief/happy hour and meet others virtually!

Download everything you need here:

Congressional Scorecard

Guide to the Congressional Scorecard

Instructions for Filtering the Scorecard 

2023 Advocacy Day Data Visualizations and Baseball Cards

New Advocate Training: Everything you need to know but are afraid to ask! We will share a recorded training recommended for NEW ADVOCATES who have never participated in Federal Advocacy Day.

We will share a legislative issues training recording leading up to the event, which will give details about the issues we advocate for and the specific asks for Members of Congress.

We will also record a Military and Veteran Issues Training. This recorded training will give an overview of the challenges that the military and Veteran community face and gives tips to Military Advocates on how to talk to their legislators. 

Watch this Advocacy Associates tutorial on how to use their website and app. Advocacy Associate is the company RESOLVE works with to book your congressional appointments. Your meeting schedule will be available through their online platform leading up to the event. 

Please read and print out the following training documents. Prior to your State Captain reaching out to you to set up practice group calls, prepare by reviewing the information below.

• Advocacy Day Leave Behind Flyer. 
• Follow Up Thank You Emails to Members of Congress - Coming soon.
• Dos and Don’ts in Your Virtual Meeting
• State Delegation Script And Talking Points
• RESOLVE Advocate Toolkit - includes important dates, what to expect on Advocacy Day, social media tips, helpful prep reminders, follow-up items post-Advocacy Day, and important items for military & veterans. 
• Zoom Meeting Background Choices
• Advocacy Day Letter: Educate lawmakers and help amplify our message by submitting a template letter through our action alert system. Personalization is available and your letter will be sent directly to your lawmaker’s offices. 

• Advocacy Day Social Media Guide: Help us to spread the word about Advocacy Day and help to recruit advocates! 
• Social Media Guide & Sample Messaging: Help us amplify our message on Advocacy Day by tweeting at your elected officials and sharing on other social media platforms. 
• Selfie Signs: Have fun on Advocacy Day and take photos to share your experience with others! 

Don’t forget to tag RESOLVE and ASRM in your online posts, photos, and videos!

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association Online and Social Media Tags

• Facebook: @resolveinfertilityorg
• Instagram: @resolveorg
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/WatchRESOLVE
• Website: resolve.org
• X: @resolveorg

American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Online and Social Media Tags

• Facebook: @ASRMFB
• Twitter: @ASRM_org
• Instagram: @asrm_org
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/americansocietyforreproductivemedicineasrm
• Website: asrm.org

Download the Advocacy Day logo

Save the image to your desktop and upload it to your blog or webpage. Please contact us at info@resolve.org if you have any problems uploading these images.

• The goal of Pro-Family legislation is to protect all people challenged in their family building and improve the lives of our community. Examples of specific Pro-Family policies include equal access to reproductive medical care, insurance coverage for IVF and fertility preservation, and dismantling barriers to adoption and the use of third-party reproduction, including donor sperm and egg and surrogacy.
• What are the specific bills we are advocating for? Our legislative agenda for Advocacy Day is carefully considered by RESOLVE in partnership with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and represents the multifaceted experiences that make up the family building community. The legislative agenda will be determined closer to the event.

I told my mother about my infertility diagnosis the day my grandmother died. It was only out of necessity when there was talk of scheduling the funeral during one of my doctor appointments. As anyone who has undergone treatment for infertility knows, these appointments happen according to your body’s schedule and not your own.

We were on the phone and I was huddled in a quiet corner at work. I explained that I had an appointment on the morning in question that I absolutely could not cancel. My mother immediately thought of the worst and panicked. She asked what was wrong and I attempted to calm her, explaining that my husband and I had been trying to have a baby and it wasn’t working. It wasn’t like I was dying or anything. The truth? I felt like I was.

Relationships with family can be some of the hardest while dealing with infertility. Your parents are living the role you long for and siblings give your parents the grandchildren you always imagined you would. They announce pregnancies with images of family trees that don’t include your children and therefore don’t include you. During holidays, they gift photo calendars and books with scenes of togetherness that you are excluded from. It’s not intentional and not meant to hurt, but it does. You’re caught between being thrilled for them, so in love with your nieces and nephews, and feeling like you’ve been stabbed in the heart every time you hear them call your sisters mom.

It’s not that my family hasn’t been supportive of me during my journey, they absolutely have. It’s just that it’s often hard for them to know HOW to help. My mother wanted to know what she could do for me but it was difficult to give her suggestions when I wasn’t always sure myself. So, I was grateful when I discovered a possible way for my family to show me extra support by joining me in infertility advocacy.

Two years ago, I attended my first Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. After feeling so out of control due to my infertility diagnosis for so many years, I felt strong, empowered. Walking the halls of the Capitol, armed with information on bills that would improve the lives of those like me, felt incredible.

Not only that, I was surrounded by people who get it, who get me. I immediately started thinking of family members I might convince to join me the next year. To take part in that experience and get a glimpse into my world. A glimpse of the infertility family that I am now a part of.

Our families are looking for ways to help us through our experience with infertility. They want to be supportive. By inviting them to Advocacy Day, you’re giving them an opportunity to show their support and an opportunity to be a part of your world. Just as you feel excluded from theirs, it’s likely they are feeling excluded from yours when you aren’t as chatty as you once were, miss family vacations due to procedure conflicts, and decline baby shower invitations when it’s emotionally just too hard. Advocacy Day is an opportunity to join together.

My mother attended Advocacy Day with me last year. We had an amazing time chatting in hotel rooms, dining out with infertility family old and new, exploring the city, and asking our legislators to support bills that will help those, like me, with infertility. She’s joining me again this year and one of my sisters might join as well. Seven years into my infertility journey, my family and I are still learning how to navigate our lives and my diagnosis. However, each spring we have Advocacy Day and an opportunity to spend time together, working for change and for greater understanding.

Elizabeth Walker is the founder and curator of The ART of infertility. After her own infertility diagnosis, the focus of her personal photographic work shifted to documenting the lives of those with infertility through portraits and interviews, in order to allow them healing through sharing their stories, and, to share those stories with medical practitioners and legislators, advocating for improvements to the care of those with the disease. In the past, Elizabeth served as a RESOLVE Ambassador and peer-led infertility support group leader. Shas has also served as a volunteer photographer for the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange.

Advocacy Day brings together people from varied backgrounds with one purpose: to put a voice to legislation that grows families and limits restrictions to quality care. The experience of putting forward a family friendly agenda was energizing and enriching to me professionally. On a personal level, I was inspired to see so many people coming together with a united focus.

Yet, I have noticed that physicians are relatively underrepresented at this crucial event. In thinking about reasons why they might be less likely to participate, I believe the rationale would involve a few central themes:

• some feel the pressure of being absent from daily practice,
• some question the impact their presence will have on legislators,
• and others believe that their membership in professional societies and participation with groups like RESOLVE lends support to legislative action.

Without a doubt, physicians have busy practices. Most are members of professional organizations, and the current political climate may make many feel the legislative gridlock is insurmountable. So how do we get your doctor to see past these obstacles and focus on the goal of advancing this legislative agenda?

1. Make sure your doctor knows about Advocacy Day and what the mission is for this session. Until one of my pharmaceutical industry colleagues discussed the event with me 5 years ago, I was completely unaware of the RESOLVE legislative effort.
2. Specifically ask for your doctor’s support and assistance. Physicians chose their profession with the strong desire to help others; it’s a part of our core philosophy. It is very difficult to deny a request for help, specifically for a mission that is designed to improve access to care and patient choice.
3. Appeal to the sense of pride that comes from having a noble profession. Let your doctor know that the legislators take extra pause when a physician takes time away from practice to personally visit their D.C. office. Doctors are able to answer questions about medical details of the agenda, providing essential background data that may have significant influence in the way a legislator views and votes on proposed bills.

In summary, physician support is a critical piece in the success of patient advocacy legislation. Like me, many physicians will be moved to action once they are educated about the process and the value of their personal participation.

Jason S. Griffith, M.D.
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Practice Director
Houston Fertility Institute

To be an effective advocate, a rudimentary understanding of our Constitutional structure and role of the different government bodies is mandatory. Leaving out State Government and State laws (which vary widely across the 50 states!), the Federal Government is comprised of three branches: the Executive (the President), the Legislature (there are two “Chambers of Congress” in our Federal Legislature, the House of Representatives, of which there are 435 Members of Congress; and the Senate, of which there are 100 Senators), and the Judiciary (the Supreme Court). The role of the President comes at the very end.

Our focus on Advocacy Day is “Congress”, that is, the House and Senate. When you arrive in Washington, D.C. for Advocacy Day, you will discover that the building called “The Capitol” is in the center of a whole area called Capitol Hill. As you face The Capitol, the Senate office buildings are on the right side and the House office buildings are on the left side. Thinking about the separate sides, and how House Members and Senators meet in the middle, is helpful in thinking about how “bills” are made into “laws”.

Each of the two sides of Congress operates separately as bills are introduced by individual or multiple members of each of the two bodies. The person or persons introducing the bills are called “sponsors”. Representatives (also called Congressmen or Congresswomen) introduce “House Bills”, designated by the letters “HR” (House Resolution) before the number of the bill (which is assigned when the bill is “dropped” – literally – in a “hopper” in the House) and Senators introduce “Senate Bills” (designated by the letter “S” before the number of the bill). A member of the House of Representatives does not have a say on any Senate bill and a Senator does not have a vote on a House bill. Pay attention to the letter designation before the number to know which one is which!

In addition to the original Sponsor (sometimes there are two sponsors – ideally a Democrat and a Republican so that a bill is truly bi-partisan), Members of Congress and Senators can show their support for bills in their Chamber by becoming a “Co-Sponsor”. By doing so, legislators are demonstrating their support for a bill to their colleagues. Further, the number of co-sponsors is one measure of the likelihood of a bill being passed when it is brought to a vote. Finally, when a bill is being reviewed by the relevant Committee (discussed below), having a significant number of co-sponsors incentivizes the Committee to prioritize that bill over less popular bills.

Bills on each side (see? It’s helpful to think of the geography of the two sides of Capitol Hill!) move separately through each of the two legislative bodies. After a bill is dropped or introduced, it is assigned for review and discussion to various committees that are part of each side of Congress. In order to be voted on by the entire membership of either the House or Senate, the relevant committees analyze the bill which means that they may hold “hearings” on it (where people testify for or against) or “mark it up” (revise it) or take other action as they see fit for the relevant bill (in order to skip this step, a bill can be “discharged”, which requires a 2/3 vote of the membership of the House or Senate, as the case may be).

After a bill moves through and passes out of the Committee (or Committees), it is sent to either the Speaker of the House or the Majority Leader of the Senate who decide whether it will be scheduled for a vote. If the Speaker or Leader schedules a bill for a vote, it is then voted on by the entire body of the Chamber.

Once it is voted on – and passes – the differences between a House and Senate bill (unless there are companion bills – more on that later) are worked out in “conference”. This is where Members of the House and Members of the Senate finally meet to synchronize the differences between two bills that may have been passed by the House and the Senate. For example, think about the Budget bills that the two chambers of Congress may send up to Conference – the members of the “Conference Committee” on the Budget will have a lot to discuss! If there is not a bill on a particular matter in each of the House and Senate, once a bill is passed by one Chamber, it is sent to the other for a vote. If it does not get a vote in both Chambers, the bill dies.

To maximize chance of success of a bill passing, the House and Senate may have “companion” bills, when a Member of Congress and a Senator introduce matching bills. This doesn’t always work, because the membership of the two bodies varies by party and power, as well as by the internal workings of how each of the bodies works with its members. If the two Chambers have “companion bills”, once it is voted on, it is sent directly to the President for signature (or veto), and it does not need to pass through the Conference Committee.

Sometimes, legislation may be proposed by way of an “amendment”. An amendment can relate to the substantive subject of the bill to which it attaches, or it can be a method to raise an issue that might otherwise not get attention or get through to a vote on its own. An amendment attached to a big bill is one way that even companion bills may differ, and again, the differences between the two bills and the amendments attached to them are worked out by the Conference Committee. Adding an amendment to a bill that is almost out of committee is a way to expedite passage of the amendment.

Once a bill has been revised in conference, it is sent back to each of the House and Senate floors for approval of the full membership of the respective Chamber. After it has been so approved, it is then sent to the President for his or her signature or veto. If the President signs the bill, it finally becomes a LAW. Whew!

Our purpose on Advocacy Day each year depends on where our issues stand in the process explained above. This year we will ask Members of Congress on both sides to co-sponsor our bills and we will ask the Senate offices to vote for an amendment. To learn more about the bills we support, read the “Issues” page on this website.

Risa A. Levine, Esq. is a former Board Member for RESOLVE and previous Advocacy Day Chair.

So you are heading to Advocacy Day, and there are lots of emotions swirling around in your stomach, especially for first timers! What is it going to be like? What will I say to representatives and their aides? How will they respond?

For many of us, especially those who are new to Advocacy Day, the idea of talking about our infertility to people who we have never met before can be overwhelming at first. After all, opening up to our closest friends and families sometimes poses a challenge, how can we discuss this with political figures? While the buildings and hallways leading to the representatives’ offices are as grand as the shiny plaques on their doors, keep in mind that they are ELECTED officials and that THEY are working for YOU.

Here are some tips to calm your nerves and stay the course during your meetings, especially with reps who may not “get” infertility at the start:

Do Prepare

It is hard not to have anxiety going into Advocacy Day. The more anxious you are before your meetings, the harder they can feel. Preparation can be a great foil to anxiety! RESOLVE does a great job preparing advocates for the tasks at hand. Make sure to be a part of the private Advocacy Facebook group.

Make sure to attend the trainings and read up on and become intimately familiar with all of the key issues to hit in your meetings. While RESOLVE will also have a refresher of the information the morning of Advocacy Day and actual notes to take with you to meetings, it is ideal to have this information fully memorized, this way you can speak from your heart in the meetings and focus on your personal story without feeling flustered.

Do Be Authentic

Your personal story changes hearts and minds. You have the ability to bring the key issues to life and make the seemingly political, personal. Before Advocacy Day, think about your story and try to frame it and condense it in a way that is clear, emotional and relatable. You may want to research ahead of time if the representative has a family of his or her own. How would that representative feel if she were still struggling to build her family? How would she feel if she or her partner had a disease that prevented her from having a family and there were very little resources to help them? If you were able to build a family through treatments or adoption, bring a picture of your family and say how you want the same opportunities for other families. If you have resolved your family building and do not have children, share how you overcame your grief and how the key issues you are fighting for today could help patients in the future.

Don’t Go To Extremes

So you are in your meeting, and it is clear that the representative or aide is not receptive to the key issues or your experience with infertility. You have been calm, authentic, emotional and clear. You have respectfully tried reaching them from different angles. While talking about something so personal and so emotional, you may be tempted to start participating in “extreme advocating.”

Extreme advocating may involve ugly crying, shaming, smiting or personally attacking the representative. It also may include throwing things, threatening the representative or having security remove you from the building. Don’t be that advocate. Keep your head up, emit strength and grace and keep your venting, smiting and verbal attacks for when you are out of earshot, safely with your fellow state advocates.
Do Stay on Task and Remind Them What’s at the Heart of The Matter
Advocacy Day is to talk about infertility and the key issues that RESOLVE has carefully pointed to that need attention this year. While we are currently in a politically charged climate where constituents are more aware of many issues that may be extremely important to them, this is not the time or place to talk about climate change, gun control or how you feel about a new tax impacting business in your state. Stay on task as advocating for infertility is incredibly important. You are important. Your story is important. These meetings are our time to change the landscape of infertility legislation.

Don’t Apologize

Keep in mind that infertility is a disease and is not your fault, although we sometimes try and blame ourselves for something that is completely out of our control. Infertility can make us feel powerless. Infertility is still a taboo topic for many and we can sometimes feel silenced and shamed.

On Advocacy Day leave all of those feelings and societal perspectives behind. Be brave and be bold. Be clear. You have a disease and it is not your fault. While some may try and politicize our health issues and treatments for our disease, remember that is not the reality in which we live in every day. It is not the reality for 1 in 8 couples. You are representing your reality and the reality of those who cannot be there to advocate.

Do Thank Them

No matter how the meetings goes, make sure to look your representative or the aide in the eye, shake their hand and thank them for their time and listening to your story. Most likely you will leave with a card of the representative or her aide. RESOLVE will encourage advocates to reach out and thank those you met via email. Advocates for many different causes flock to Washington daily to have these same meetings. These emails are a further way to impart your story and RESOLVE’s key issues. Make sure to follow up, especially if your representative had some hesitations.

Throughout the history of Advocacy Day, while there have been some meetings with representatives that have not gone ideally, most meetings are received positively and politely, even if the representative is not yet ready to support RESOLVE’s legislation efforts. Your presence at Advocacy Day and your willingness to be brave and bold and share your story makes a huge difference, even if your representative is hesitant to support the infertility community. Over the years, many representatives who may not have known about infertility legislation or may not have agreed with it at first, have ultimately supported RESOLVE’s efforts due to hearing the powerful stories of their constituents.

– Casey Berna, LCSWA is a licensed social worker with years of experience as a counselor, advocate, and community organizer. Casey provides counseling to patients suffering from endometriosis and infertility in North Carolina. She runs patient-support groups through her affiliations with RESOLVE and EndoWarriors, and also supports, coaches, and educates patients worldwide through her participation in the online community. Inspired by her own struggle with endometriosis, infertility, and recurrent pregnancy loss, Casey has contributed to these communities for years as a writer and activist. Endotruths: The Impact of Endometriosis and Infertility on Mental Health, debuted at The Unmentionables Film Festival in New York City. She also has been a guest speaker at universities and conferences across the nation. In her spare time, Casey supports and volunteers for non-profits working to improve the lives of patients in these communities.

Why do we need family-building professionals to attend Advocacy Day?

It is important for Members of Congress to hear from healthcare and other professionals that serve the infertility patient community because:

• You bring a business perspective to the conversation.
• You bring the stories of hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of patients and customers, lending the voice of experience and expertise.
• You lend the voice of experience and expertise on behalf of hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of patients, clients, and customers. Your presence at Advocacy Day demonstrates your support for your patients and clients and reinforces that the entire infertility community is coming together on Advocacy Day.

Make room in your schedule for this important virtual event and join RESOLVE and ASRM staff and hundreds of patient advocates and other experts like you. Once you register, we will make your Congressional appointments for you and provide you with the information and training you need for a successful day.

Here’s how you can lend your voice at Advocacy Day:

• Advocacy Day is a virtual event, so your staff can represent your clinic/business from anywhere!
• Tell your patients (current and former patients) about Advocacy Day and invite them to join you at Advocacy Day.
• Email everyone who receives your e-newsletter about the legislation we are advocating for and why you support it.
• Use your social media channels to share about Advocacy Day and tag RESOLVE and ASRM. Use this social media guide to get started!

I am an RE and this is why I participate in Advocacy Day

I see patients every day that have a strong wish to build their family but can’t. This may be due to not having insurance or having insurance that doesn’t cover them because of their sexual orientation or marital status. Or sometimes they just don’t have the information they need to make an informed decision about their options.

Advocacy Day is about taking the conversation to the next level.  Informing our leaders about what can and needs to be done. The right to build a family is a human right and we need to protect and promote it as a nation. But policy starts with understanding of the issues. As family building professionals and providers of fertility care, we have the knowledge to educate and advocate. This day is the best chance to have a focused professional voice to make real change.

For the past 3 years, I wanted to participate in Advocacy Day, but something always got in the way. Too many commitments booked out for weeks with patients or surgery, or just neglected to register until it was too late. These are excuses we can make but when you see patients struggling day to day and they ask why doesn’t someone do something?

You know it’s time to act. This is that time. We can make the difference in so many people’s lives.

Today, I appeal to you to spread the word about Advocacy Day with your professional peers and your patient community. Let them know you have committed to attending Advocacy Day and why they should be there too.

Ask your fellow family building professionals to make the commitment to attend Advocacy Day today and let’s change the conversation about infertility on Capitol Hill.

-Joseph B. Davis D.O. FACOG

About Joseph B. Davis D.O. FACOG:

Dr. Davis is a board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist with a passion for helping couples and individuals to achieve their goals of building a family.  Dr.Davis is a volunteer on the 2018 Advocacy Day Planning Committee. 

Download everything you need here:

• Advocacy Day Logo: Put the Advocacy Day logo on your website, emails and Facebook page and link it to resolve.org/advocacyday.
• Advocacy Day Flyers: Download this flyer and share it with your clinic/office staff and patients. Everyone should be knowledgeable about this great event impacting the entire community.
• Outreach Toolkit: Utilize RESOLVE’s communications toolkit to recruit within your network for Advocacy Day through your social media platforms. Sample messaging and graphics are provided. 
• Advocacy Day Letter: Educate lawmakers and help amplify our message by submitting a template letter through our action alert system. Personalization is available and your letter will be sent directly to your lawmaker’s offices.