Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (Democrat) on Sunday poured cold water on the legitimacy of former President Trump's proposal that the government or insurance companies pay for in vitro fertilization (IVF), saying her constituents “cannot believe anything” the governor says on reproductive issues.
“You can't take this seriously. I mean, this isn't just Republicans — I get on well with Republicans, by the way — this is Donald Trump and he's going to say whatever the wind is blowing,” Healey said on CBS News' “Face the Nation.” “He was under fire the other day, and then all of a sudden he says he's a believer in IVF, which is patently false and offensive.”
President Trump said Thursday that if elected in November, his administration would protect access to IVF and make the government or insurance companies pay for the treatment.
“Under the Trump administration, we're going to pay 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.
While Republicans have not directly opposed access to IVF, Democrats argue that Trump and his party enabled an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February that said frozen embryos are considered the same as children and therefore destroying them could be a crime. The ruling temporarily halted IVF services for many patients in Alabama.
“First of all, don't believe anything Donald Trump says,” Healey said. “As attorney general, I had to sue him over 100 times for his lies. And as governor, I've seen the stark difference between a Trump administration and an administration with Kamala Harris on the table when it comes to health, women's health, and reproductive freedom. There can be no clear difference in this election. Kamala Harris stands squarely for reproductive freedom.”
She then said that Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), have been “on the offensive every day” on the issue.
“They're not just talking to Democrats, they're talking to Republicans, independents, and the many Americans who watched Labor Day and haven't decided who they're going to vote for. And they're talking issue after issue: protecting the middle class, a working economy, defending reproductive freedom. These are all things that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in and fight for, and they're not going to be able to stand up to Donald Trump and [Sen] J.D. Vance [R-Ohio] I don't know anything and I can't make it happen.”
In vitro fertilization has become a central concern for politicians and voters over the past year, especially following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling.
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.
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 Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
