CNN —
President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared himself the “father” of in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization is under threat following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
It’s unclear exactly what the former president meant when he made the comment at a Fox News town hall in the battleground state of Georgia, which was billed as focusing on women’s issues and had an all-female audience. But he returned to the issue multiple times during his campaign, voicing support for in vitro fertilization and giving long, confusing or contradictory statements about his stance on abortion.
“We are very much pro-IVF,” President Trump told host and Fox News host Harris Faulkner on “Faulkner Focus.” “We want fertilization, and it’s going full steam ahead, but the Democrats tried to attack us on that, and we’re more committed to IVF than they are. So, We fully agree.”
In vitro fertilization is a decades-old, expensive treatment used by millions of parents, and earlier this year the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children and that those who destroy them can be jailed. The ruling sparked a nationwide conflict over abortion and reproductive rights. Liable for wrongful death.
The Alabama ruling infuriated reproductive rights advocates who argued that it would have a chilling effect on IVF, scaring doctors who perform the procedure and driving up prices even higher. It also sparked a political firestorm that ultimately led Republican-led state legislatures to rush to pass legislation granting civil and criminal immunity to health care providers and patients.
President Trump and the Republican Party quickly distanced themselves from the Alabama lawsuit, but Democrats, led by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, say the ruling is a precursor to policies Trump plans to enact if he returns to the White House. He insisted that it would be.
“Donald Trump called himself the ‘father of IVF.’ What is he talking about?” the vice president posted on social media late Tuesday. “His abortion bans are already putting abortion access at risk in states across the country, and his own platform could end IVF altogether.”
Harris told reporters on Wednesday that she found Trump’s comments “bizarre” and instead held Trump responsible for the state of abortion rights in the United States.
“I’m going to say what I’ve said publicly and what I’ve said many times based on observation: …Donald Trump has become increasingly unstable, and since he was president “As those who have worked closely with him have said, he is unfit to be president of the United States,” she said.
In response to the Alabama ruling, President Trump vowed to enact a federal policy that would make IVF treatment free. He did not say how it would be handled or whether the government or insurance companies would cover the cost.
Senate Democrats want to highlight the issue ahead of the election, having introduced legislation twice this year to guarantee access to IVF across the country, each time with Republicans voting to block the bill. is casting. Many Republican opponents say they support in vitro fertilization but criticize the bill as an unnecessary overreach and a political stunt.
At the town hall, Trump also criticized some states for having “too strict” regulations on abortion, saying those laws would be “reworked” without going into detail.
“States are voting right now (on abortion rights), and honestly, some states, like Ohio, are moving in a more liberal direction,” Trump said.
Faulkner also mentioned states that have enacted or instituted bans or restrictions on the process and those restrictions remain in place after Roe is overturned in 2022. Not,” he said.
President Trump responded, “Some of it isn’t, but it will be redone.” “It’s going to be a do-over. They’re going to be, and ultimately it’s going to be decided by a vote of the people. And some of them, I agree, they’re too tough, they’re too tough. .”
Still, Trump reiterated his role in appointing Supreme Court justices who broke Roe v. Wade and argued the issue should be left to state legislation. He also expressed support for exceptions to the abortion ban in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother’s life is in danger.
Although he had previously refused to commit either way, President Trump said earlier this month that he would veto a federal abortion ban. Vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, acknowledged in a vice presidential debate with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz that it would be difficult for Republicans to get through this issue and offered support to parents in need. indicated that the party would push for a new bill.
“Frankly, the American people don’t trust us, and we have to do better to regain the American people’s trust on this issue,” Vance said.
A Marquette Law School poll conducted this summer found that two-thirds of Americans oppose the Supreme Court’s decision.
