Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Sunday he does not support the idea proposed last week by former President Trump to require insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization treatments.
Asked if he supported the proposal, Graham replied: “No, because it's never-ending.”
President Trump said last Thursday that if elected in November, his administration would protect access to IVF and have the government or insurance companies pay for the treatment.
“Under a Trump administration, we're going to be paying for that care,” he said in an exclusive interview.NBC NewsHe added that it would apply to “every American who gets it, every American who needs it.”
“So we will either pay for that care or require the insurance company to pay,” he added.
He did not elaborate on what the mandate would look like, but insisted he's “always in favor of IVF,” NBC reported.
Graham instead proposed a tax credit for people who get pregnant through IVF or other treatments.
“We have tax credits for people who have children. Maybe we should have income-tested tax credits for people who go through IVF or other treatments to get pregnant,” Graham said. “I support income-tested tax credits like we have for people who have children. I think that makes sense to encourage people to have children.”
The South Carolina Republican maintained that his party does not oppose birth control or IVF treatments.
“he [Trump] “We are just trying to show our support for IVF treatment. You know, we, the party, are accused of being a bit against contraception. We are not. We are accused of being against IVF treatment. We are not,” he said.
He later suggested Republicans might be able to find “common ground” with their Democratic colleagues.
Vice President Harris's presidential campaign Criticizing Trump's pledges She demanded that he pay for IVF treatment, claiming that this was “one of his most brazen lies ever.”
“Donald Trump's policies could effectively ban IVF and abortion nationwide. Trump lies more than he breathes, but voters are not stupid. IVF is already under attack because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away women's freedoms in states across the country,” Sarafina Chitica, a spokesperson for the Harris-Waltz campaign, said in a statement.
In vitro fertilization has become a central issue among politicians and voters over the past year since the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos and fertilized eggs are considered people under the law and that those who destroy them can be held responsible for their deaths.
The ruling led to a halt to most IVF services in the state, but lawmakers quickly passed a bill addressing civil and criminal liability for IVF providers, allowing the services to resume.
The Trump-Vance campaign, like the Republican Party as a whole, has sought to avoid issues related to abortion and reproductive rights ahead of the 2024 election, given that anti-abortion policies have become unpopular among voters since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago.
The former president appointed the three justices who voted with a 6-3 majority in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, but has repeatedly been criticized by Democrats for overturning the ruling in 2022.
