Republican lawmakers are scrambling to respond following the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling to restrict access to fertility treatments that has prompted various IVF clinics to suspend operations.
In a statement, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace said that they need to do everything they can to protect IVF, which stands for "In vitro fertilization," for women everywhere. She added that they are currently drafting a resolution to express their sentiment and will then look at legislative options.
Alabama Supreme Court's IVF Ruling
The Republican lawmaker has variably criticized and supported the GOP's pro-life positions, often issuing warnings that overly strict policies will cost the party key elections. Furthermore, House Republicans from districts that United States President Joe Biden won in 2020 are also pushing back at the ruling.
Separately, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York said that the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling "goes too far" while Rep. Anthony D'Esposito said that it would "rob countless Americans of the joys of family life," as per Axios.
Nebraska's Rep. Don Bacon said that he wants to give people who want to become fathers and mothers the opportunity to be what they want. He then expressed his disagreement with the ruling to restrict access to IVF.
The Alabama Supreme Court's ruling was made late last week and argued that frozen embryos that were created through IVF are legally considered children. That particular decision resulted in clinics across the state pausing treatments out of concern that doctors or patients could face potential criminal prosecution.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Patty Murray of Washington, and Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania introduced legislation to provide a federal right to IVF. The decision was made following the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
In a statement responding to the Alabama IVF ruling, Duckworth said that now is the time for Congress to pass his "Access to Family Building Act" and establish a statutory right to access the treatment.
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Responding to the Decision
Presidential candidate Nikki Halley is among those who are scrambling for coherent responses to the IVF ruling. GOP members are being pulled between social conservatives within the party and more moderate voters who could be decisive in a general election, according to CNN.
Democratic lawmakers quickly branded the IVF ruling as an example of far-right reverberations from the overturning of Roe. The Alabama Supreme Court's decision, which was accompanied by a concurring opinion by Chief Justice Tom Parker, could invite similar action in other conservative states.
One resident, Gabrielle Goidel, spent three months preparing for IVF treatments but was now being forced to travel to Texas to go ahead after years of trying to have a baby. She said that she felt like she already had the opportunity to be a mom but noted that it was ripped away multiple times.
Another woman, 36-year-old Emily Capilouto, expressed his discontent with the Alabama Supreme Court ruling. For years, she struggled to have a child and she was already nearing the end of an IVF cycle when one of the embryos that she and her husband had produced was to be transferred to her uterus, said the New York Times.
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