Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth will deliver a speech around 9 p.m. Tuesday during the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
Duckworth, of Hoffman Estates, was first elected to Congress in 2012 when she defeated a Republican incumbent, then-U.S. Rep Joe Walsh. Four years later she won her seat in the Senate, defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, where she has served since.
A combat veteran who lost both legs in the Iraq War, Duckworth was the first disabled woman elected to Congress and became the first sitting senator to give birth. Considered a rising star within the Democratic Party, Duckworth was once shortlisted by President Joe Biden for vice president.
In-vitro fertilization, which has become a divisive issue between Republicans and Democrats this election year, is also a key issue for Duckworth. She had her two children with the assistance of IVF.
Duckworth has introduced legislation to establish federal protections for IVF and other forms of assisted reproductive technology. The measure, however, was blocked by Senate Republicans. IVF has become the latest front in the political battle over reproductive rights, especially after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled embryos are children under the law, threatening access to IVF in the state.
Watch her speech below.
