Trump proclaims his title as the 'pioneer of IVF' during a town hall event attended exclusively by women.
It's questionable what specifically Trump meant during his comment at a Fox News town hall in contested Georgia, marketed as focusing on women's concerns and attended by an all-female audience. However, he's consistently revisited this subject - emphasizing his backing for IVF - throughout his campaign trails. His responses regarding abortion have often been inconsistent or misleading.
"We're truly the party for IVF," Trump declared to moderator and Fox News host Harris Faulkner on "The Faulkner Focus." "We cherish fertilization, and it's all the way, while Democrats attempted to assault us on it. We're out there promoting IVF, even more than them. Thus, we're fully supportive."
** infertility treatment in vitro, a costly, decades-long method utilized by countless parents, sparked a national conflict over abortion and reproductive rights earlier this year once Alabama's Supreme Court** deemed frozen embryos as children, and those who destroy them could be held liable for wrongful death.
The Alabama judgement enraged reproductive rights supporters who predicted it would discourage doctors performing the procedure and escalate prices further. Moreover, it ignited a political uproar leading the state's Republican-led Legislature to pass a bill granting civil and criminal immunity to providers and patients.
Trump and the Republicans expeditiously distanced themselves from the Alabama situation, but Democrats, led by Kamala Harris' campaign, argued that this ruling foreshadowed potential policies Trump would propose if he came back to the White House.
"What does Trump mean when he calls himself 'the father of IVF'?" Harris shared on social media late Tuesday. "His abortion restrictions have already posed threats to access in multiple states, and his own platform could eradicate IVF altogether."
Following the Alabama judgement, Trump announced he would implement a federal policy making IVF free of cost. He did not elaborate on how this would be executed or who would cover the costs.
On the flip side, Senate Democrats highlighted this issue before the elections, introducing a bill twice this year aiming to ensure nationwide access to IVF – which Republicans repeatedly vetoed each instance. Many Republican opponents acknowledged their support for IVF but criticized the legislation as unnecessary intrusion and a political stunt.
During the town hall, Trump also denounced certain states' harsh abortion constraints, asserting, without revealing any details, that these laws would be revised.
"The states are now voting on abortion rights," Trump said. "Honestly, some of them are becoming more liberal, like in Ohio."
Faulkner then reminded him of "those ones" that enacted or imposed limitations on the procedure following Roe's overturning in 2022 and where these restrictions still prevail.
"And some of them are not, but it's going to be redone," Trump responded. "It's going to be redone. They're going to, essentially, end up with a vote from the people. And some of them, I agree, they're too strict, too strict."
Nonetheless, Trump continued to boast about his role in appointing Supreme Court justices who overthrew Roe v. Wade and advocated for leaving the issue to states to legislate. He also expressed backing for exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother's life is perilous.
After initially refusing to make a decision, Trump announced he would veto a federal abortion ban earlier this month. Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, during his vice presidential debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, acknowledged the GOP's difficulties managing this topic – suggesting his party draft new legislation to aid parents in need.
"We have to significantly improve our performance in earning the American people's trust back on this issue," Vance said. "Where they frankly, just don't trust us."
Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's decision, according to a Marquette Law School poll conducted this summer.
In light of the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling on frozen embryos, Trump's support for IVF became a political point of contention, with Democrats accusing him of potentially eradicating the procedure if he returned to the White House. (containing 'politics')
Republicans in the Senate repeatedly vetoed a bill aimed at ensuring nationwide access to IVF, citing it as an unnecessary intrusion and a political stunt. (containing 'politics')
