Senator Rick Scott of Florida is running for re-election and faces a somewhat competitive race against former Democratic congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. On Friday, Scott announced an ad highlighting his support for IVF and his personal connection to the IVF procedure. In the ad, he mentions his seven grandchildren and acknowledges that “sometimes families need help.”
“Millions of babies have come into this world through IVF, in vitro fertilization. In fact, our youngest daughter is receiving IVF treatments right now, hoping to expand her family,” Scott said in the ad. This is the Scott campaign’s second ad in a seven-figure statewide ad buy.
However, Scott, along with almost every other Republican senator, voted to block the passage of the Right to IVF Act, a Democratic initiative aimed at protecting access to the fertility procedure. Only two Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — voted in favor of the bill.
Scott and 48 other Republican senators signed a letter supporting IVF while criticizing Democrats for what they described as fearmongering. The letter stated, “Senate Democrats have embraced the Summer of Scare Tactics — a partisan campaign of false fearmongering to mislead and confuse the American people. In vitro fertilization is legal and available in every state across our nation. We strongly support continued nationwide access to IVF, which has allowed millions of aspiring parents to start and grow their families.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has staged a series of votes on various legislation, including measures to protect access to contraception and IVF. Scott told The Independent last week that Schumer’s efforts were primarily for campaign purposes and had little chance of passing.
Senators Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas proposed their own IVF legislation, which Democrats opposed as insufficient. Britt commented, “I think what you see is Democrats continuing to fearmonger on this very issue.”
This vote followed an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that classified frozen embryos as children, prompting three of the largest IVF centers in the state to pause coverage. This ruling came in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which has raised concerns about the impact on access to contraception and fertility treatments, as seen in Alabama.