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Former U.S. President Donald Trump and likely GOP presidential nominee said Friday that he supports in vitro fertilization (IVF), one week after Alabama’s Supreme Court handed down a ruling imperiling the availability of fertility treatments in the state.
“Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby,” Trump posted on Truth Social, also calling on state lawmakers to “find an immediate solution” to preserve access to IVF in the state.
Alabama’s highest court ruled on Feb. 16 that embryos are children, and destroying them could constitute wrongful death of a minor. One dissenting justice wrote that the ruling “almost certainly ends the creation of frozen embryos through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Alabama.”
Trump’s remaining primary challenger Nikki Haley initially told NBC News, “Embryos, to me, are babies,” but later told CNN that while she believes the court ruled correctly based on the state’s law, she disagreed with it and called on Alabama to revisit the law.
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The ruling has gotten pushback from many Republicans in the state and across the U.S., with some GOP analysts warning that it’s out of step with public opinion on IVF and could alienate more moderate or swing voters.
Alabama’s GOP lawmakers are already considering legislation to protect IVF treatments. The Alabama Attorney General also said Friday that his office had “no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers.”
Shortly before Trump’s statement on Friday, his son, Donald Trump Jr., told Semafor in South Carolina that he’s pro-family and “all for IVF within the boundaries of reasonableness.” He also told reporters that Trump likely “believes the same” when it comes to “protecting that.”
Shelby Talcott contributed reporting.
