Trump says he ‘strongly’ supports IVF after Alabama court ruling

(WASHINGTON) — As this week’s Alabama Supreme Court ruling raised concerns on protections for in vitro fertilization treatments, former President Donald Trump is finally breaking his silence, calling on the state legislature “to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama.”

“We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies not harder, you know that. That includes — and you saw this was a big deal over the last few days — that includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every state in America,” Trump said at a massive arena rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Friday.

Trump went on to say he “strongly” supports the availability of IVF for couples.

“And today, I’m calling on the Alabama legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama and I’m sure they’re going to do that,” he said.

Trump continued, going on to say that he will always stand for life, which includes IVF.

“The Republican Party should always be on the side of the miracle of life and the side of mothers and fathers and beautiful little babies have to be on that. IVF is an important part of that and our great Republican Party will always be with you. ”

Trump’s comments at his rally are nearly identical to what he posted on his social media platform earlier in the day.

On Tuesday, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that “unborn children are ‘children’ … without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics.” Trump’s comments on Friday avoided giving an opinion on the court’s ruling that a frozen embryo is a child.

The unprecedented decision from the court could impact the future of IVF treatments in the state — and several IVF providers have paused parts of their care to patients for fear of legal risks.

The state’s attorney general said Friday that he does not intend to prosecute IVF providers or families in the wake of the ruling.

Trump’s comments also come after Biden’s campaign directly blamed him for the decision, saying it was “only possible” because “Donald Trump’s Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v. Wade.” Trump appointed three conservative justices while he was president.

“Across the nation, MAGA Republicans are inserting themselves into the most personal decisions a family can make, from contraception to IVF. With their latest attack on reproductive freedom, these so-called pro-life Republicans are preventing loving couples from growing their families. If Donald Trump is elected, there is no question that he will impose his extreme anti-freedom agenda on the entire country,” Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement.

What other Republicans are saying

Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama garnered attention after he said he supported the court’s decision because he believes there ought to be more children — even though the ruling has led to the temporary pause of IVF services in multiple sites throughout the state.

“I was all for it, we need to have more kids, we need to have an opportunity to do that and I thought this was the right thing to do,” Tuberville said at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Later, when pushed by MSNBC’S Dasha Burns on his message to women who are losing access to IVF, Tuberville replied: “Well, that’s a hard one, it really is.”

In the aftermath of Tuberville’s comments, the National Republican Senatorial Committee circulated a memo, obtained by ABC News, urging members to “express support for IVF” and to “campaign on increasing access.”

“A recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court is fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain,” the memo read. “There are zero Republican Senate candidates who support efforts to restrict access to fertility treatments. NRSC encourages Republican Senate candidates to clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government to restrict IVF.”

Kari Lake, running for Senate in Arizona, wrote on social media that she will “advocate for increased access to fertility treatment for women struggling to get pregnant” and that she was against restrictions.

Dave McCormick, a Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, similarly posted that “IVF is a ray of hope for millions of Americans seeking the blessing of children. I oppose any effort to restrict it.”

Other Republicans have said Alabama’s court correctly interpreted the law but that the law should be modified.

“People who want to have a family should have the government and the law on their side and the notion that discarded embryos and IVF somehow turn these people who want children and want families and want the American dream into criminals is really wrong,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said on CNN.

“I disagree with the end state,” Rep. Don. Bacon, a moderate Republican, said when asked about the court’s decision during an NBC News Now interview. “I think the court ruling is interpreting the law so Alabama will probably have to modify the law to make this permissible and we would want that.”

ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley, Isabella Murray, Rachel Bade, Brittany Shepherd, Tia Humphries and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.