The GOP’s IVF flip-flopping shows it’s caught in its own trap

Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) knows how to turn a phrase. If only he, and countless other Republicans, really meant what they said.

“One thing I’ve learned is that no one is born in a freezer.” Mr. Graham announced After an Alabama court ruled that frozen embryos created for IVF are actually children protected by law.He declared his opposition to the hard-right ruling, which effectively shut down Almost half of IVF clinics Alabama claimed there was a “fix.”

So where were Graham and other Republicans when Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) proposed a bill to protect IVF nationwide?

Nowhere.they forgive the bill Immediately rebut a single Republican objectionjust like Duckworth undoubtedly feared that they would.

It was similar to what we’ve seen from many Republican politicians who have rushed to the microphone or social media. They all said they were in favor of IVF.Despite spending years crafting legislation that would effectively ban it.

There is 125 House RepublicansIncluding House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who signed the latest version of the bill called . “The Law of Life at the Time of Conception.”

The bill defines legally protected “human beings” as including “all stages of life, including the moment of conception, cloning, or birth of an individual member of the human race.” There are no exceptions for embryos created for in vitro fertilization. In the House bill.

But Johnson and other House Republicans support this and are equally strict. past version The bill was sponsored by Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), Nancy Mace (R-Nebraska), former Congressman and current senator Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), and Ted.・Mr. Budd (Republican, Nebraska) and others. Supports in vitro fertilization.

Alarmed, the National Republican Senatorial Committee told Republican candidates: Take a public stand in support of IVF.

It’s a mess. And it’s all dobbs The decision was made by the Supreme Court, where the majority of justices oppose reproductive freedom.

This is also the latest example of today’s Republican strategy. Say one thing and do another whenever it is politically convenient.

We all remember that Congressional Republicans fought hard against President Biden’s infrastructure bill.Then they I went home and took the credit. When federal funds started flowing to states.

They said border security was a top priority; Abandoned bipartisan border agreement.

And then there’s the parade of far-right Supreme Court nominees and their disingenuous statements. egg v being wade “I’m calm” It provided cover for Republicans who were constantly trying to subvert it.

The most egregious example, of course, is the Republican Party’s reversal of its leaders and support for Donald Trump. like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) scolded President Trump for rallying a mob on January 6 and then letting them go on a rampage with “big lies.”

It’s still an open secret that prominent Republicans publicly flatter Trump. call him incompetent (and more) in private.

The Republican Party’s self-inflicted fiasco on IVF reflects this rampant hypocrisy. Horrifyingly, it also reveals that political parties that were once part of the extremist faction are increasingly being captured.

Just as the Alabama Supreme Court was ruling that a fetus is a child, the court’s elected Republican chief justice I was being interviewed by a good friend. Here’s what I think about talk show host Johnny Enlow Trump is on a mission from God To destroy Bill Gates.

The two bonded over a shared vision of a far-right, theocratic America.

Things will only get worse for Republicans. Because today’s Republican Party is filled with election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and power mongers who will say anything to get elected. This is a greenhouse where truth quickly disappears.

The good news, at least for IVF and reproductive freedom as a whole, is that this problem is not going away.American overwhelmingly supports in vitro fertilization and support for abortion rights. higher than ever. People will fight fiercely for access to this vital medical care.

And in November they will remember who was willing to take it away.

Mr. Svante Myrick american people.