PHOENIX — Democrats are trying to make IVF a campaign issue, with Vice President Kamala Harris saying during a presidential debate that Donald Trump's abortion bans are denying IVF treatment to couples who pray and dream of starting a family. But Republican candidates in key battleground states are nearly unanimous in their support for the practice, and a former president has even made taxpayer-funded treatment part of his platform.
The Senate failed to advance a bill to give federal protections to in vitro fertilization this week, voting 51-44 to miss the 60 votes needed. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossed party lines to sponsor the bill.
The bill has so far failed to pass due to Republican opposition to some of its provisions. Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Katie Britt tried to pass their own version of the bill, called the IVF Protection Act, but Senator Britt rejected it. said It would have protected “access to in vitro fertilization and religious freedom for all,” but Democrats blocked the effort.
But while some in the Republican Party have called for restrictions on IVF, there is fundamental agreement in many districts across the country that access to the treatment should be protected.
In February, the Republican Senatorial Committee urged candidates to support IVF protection policies. Axios reportedThis comes as former President Donald Trump has proposed taxpayer-funded IVF treatment.
Regulation and protection of fertility treatments received national attention earlier this year following an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that put the treatments at risk, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill providing legal protections for IVF donors. Matt Rosendale(R-Montana) also opposed Defense Department funding for IVF, raising broader concerns about the future of federal IVF.
As concerns about IVF and its protections continue to dominate national conversations, The Washington Post spoke with battleground state Republican candidates and asked them to clarify their positions.
Ohio
Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, who is in a close race with Sen. Sherrod Brown, defended women's right to have the procedure.
“My goal is to promote the culture of life, and IVF is a vital tool for families struggling with infertility,” Moreno's campaign said in a statement.
“We have a crisis in this country where we're not having enough children to replace the population, and I'm in favor of anything that encourages people to have more children and build stronger families,” she continued.
Virginia
Hun Kao, Republican Senate candidate for Virginia Tweeted In late June, in response to Rosendale's proposal to block the Pentagon's funding for IVF treatments, Kao said, “IVF helps build and grow families.” “As a 25-year Navy combat veteran with a child born as a result of fertility treatments, let me be the first to say this is a really stupid idea,” Kao tweeted.
Nevada
Republican Mark Robertson, running for his second time for Nevada's 1st Congressional District seat, told The Washington Post he is “a total supporter of IVF.”
“We have had members of our family who have struggled with infertility, and we support anything that allows mothers and fathers who want to have children to have them,” he continued.
Robertson, who joined the U.S. Army at age 17 and retired as a colonel, said in a phone interview that he would “look very carefully” at any proposal to fund IVF from the federal government because the country's $35 trillion debt “is a huge burden for babies that are born through IVF and other means, and we need to start reducing that debt.”
Drew Johnson, a Republican running in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, said he would “oppose any efforts from either party to limit access to IVF.”
Senate candidate Sam Brown called the fertility treatments in question a “blessing.”
“Amy and I believe we should do more to promote loving families and enable people to experience the joy of parenthood. IVF and other similar fertility treatments are a blessing for many families who seek that joy, and we must ensure they remain available,” Brown told The Post in a statement.
Wisconsin
Rep. Derrick Van Alden, who is fighting the fight of his life to defend his seat in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, told The Washington Post last month that he supports the policy.
“The Republican Party is the party of families,” Van Alden said after Trump's town hall, when asked about Trump's new policy rollout. [IVF] This policy will impact elections in Wisconsin.
“Do I have all the answers about IVF? Because there are so many embryos out there that have been fertilized, and frankly I don't have the answers about what to do with them,” Van Orden said at the time. “Anyone who wants to have children should have access to this technology, so I'm in full support of it.”
Brian Steil, a two-term Wisconsin congressman, declined to say whether he supported Trump's free IVF policy, but told The Post that he supports IVF.
“I support looking at ways to lower the cost of IVF for families and I am co-sponsoring legislation to look at how Health Savings Accounts can be used in relation to IVF,” Steele said in response to a question about whether he would support Donald Trump's free IVF policy.
“As a conservative, I support family, and IVF is a way that many couples can have a family, and sometimes it's the only way.” [That is] This is one of the main reasons we support IVF.”
In the Senate race, challenger Eric Hovde's campaign explained his position on the issue.
“Eric Hovde is a supporter of nationwide IVF access, which has made it possible for thousands of Wisconsinites to start and raise their families,” Hovde spokesman Zach Bannon told The Washington Post.
California
Republican Scott Baugh, who is in a close race to represent California's 47th District seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, said in a statement to The Washington Post that he opposes a federal abortion ban and supports in vitro fertilization.
“I want to be clear that I oppose a federal ban on abortion, and I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to support access to IVF. We don't have to agree on everything to find common ground on important issues and move forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Michelle Steele, who represents California's 45th congressional district, previously told The Post that she had used IVF in the past.
“I underwent IVF and after six years I was blessed with two beautiful children and I am so grateful. IVF should not be banned – it is truly necessary. I built my family through IVF,” she said.
Arizona
Republican Senate Candidate Kali Lake Tweeted In February, she said she would “advocate for making fertility treatments more accessible to women who are struggling to conceive.”
“IVF is vital to helping countless families experience the joy of parenthood, and I am against restrictions,” she continued.
Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who is facing a challenge this term from Democrat Amish Shah, made a similar post discussing his own family's struggles with fertility treatments.
“My wife and I struggled for years to have a child. Today we are blessed with two beautiful children. IVF is a valuable and important tool for many Arizona families, and I oppose any efforts to restrict IVF,” he said. He said.
Democratic Party statement
Democrats don't believe Harris's stance on IVF is genuine. At a Harris campaign press conference on Tuesday, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who sponsored the Democratic “IVF Right” bill, said: invoiceblasted Republicans for endangering the practice.
“It's been almost two years since the Supreme Court made its horrifying decision to overturn the Constitution. egg“Up until now, American families have lived with the effects of this anti-freedom movement that has put IVF at risk for millions of Americans. In states like Alabama, clinics have been closed because of Donald Trump, forcing women to send their embryos out of state,” Duckworth said on the conference call.
“So I'm not going to sit back and watch while Donald Trump and J.D. Vance campaign on an agenda that threatens access to IVF. Because every American has the right to be called Mom and Dad without being criminalized. Families in Ohio deserve better. Families across this country deserve better,” she added.
Additional reporting by Victoria Churchill, Joe Durbin, Mark Kellner and Amy Sikma.
