Lawmakers across the country are scrambling to safeguard access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) after several clinics in Alabama paused treatments over a recent state supreme court ruling that classified frozen embryos as children.
The controversial decision by Alabama’s top court effectively opened the door for legal action against those who discard frozen embryos during IVF, a widely-used fertility treatment method involving the fertilization of eggs outside the body. Now the fight over the procedure will move to the legislative realm, with both Democrats and Republicans alike calling to protect the procedure in law. Some Democratic legislators have already introduced measures aimed at preserving the rights of individuals seeking fertility treatments, but a bipartisan solution is yet to emerge as Republicans grapple with reconciling their support for IVF with anti-abortion stances.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who had her two children via IVF and has spearheaded the effort in Congress to protect the treatment, tells TIME that no Republicans have expressed support for her legislation. Her bill would enshrine a statutory right for patients to access IVF services nationwide and retain authority over how sperm or egg cells are used during such treatments. “Crickets. Not a single one of them has come forward,” Duckworth says.
Yet several prominent Republican figures, including former President Donald Trump, have voiced their support for IVF treatments and called on legislators to come up with a solution that protects fertility clinics and preserves the treatment. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Trump’s top rival for the Republican nomination, initially said she supported the Alabama ruling but then walked back her comments.
The Senate GOP’s campaign arm released a memo telling candidates to affirm support for IVF. “When responding to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, it is imperative that our candidates align with the public’s…
