Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced that, if he is re-elected, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments would be covered by insurance companies or the government.
“I was always for IVF. Right from the beginning, as soon as we heard about it,” Trump stated in an interview with NBC News last Thursday.
This new policy proposal follows concerns raised by Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other Democrats, who argue that Republican-led abortion restrictions in some states could threaten access to fertility treatments.
Trump’s stance may conflict with some conservative anti-abortion advocates who seek to ban IVF due to the practice of discarding unused embryos. Nevertheless, he reiterated his commitment to this policy during his NBC interview.
“Under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” Trump told NBC. “Or we’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.”
IVF treatments are often costly, averaging around $20,000 (£15,000) per cycle, and are rarely covered by insurance in the U.S. However, Trump did not provide details on how this policy would be implemented.
The Harris-Walz campaign quickly responded to Trump’s position, criticizing him for the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, which removed the federal right to abortion and allowed states to set their own abortion laws. At least 14 states have since banned or severely restricted abortion access.
“Because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, IVF is already under attack, and women’s freedoms have been ripped away in states across the country,” said Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika following Trump’s comments.
Trump has previously highlighted his role in appointing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, contributing to the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “I was able to kill Roe v Wade,” he posted online in May 2023.
Despite this, Trump has sought to distance himself from his record on abortion, while Harris emphasizes the potential impact of Republican policies on reproductive rights. During his interview, Trump, a Florida resident, also mentioned his intention to vote against a proposed Florida law that would ban most abortions after six weeks, stating, “I think the six-week [ban] is too short. There has to be more time.”
IVF has recently become a contentious issue in the U.S. debate over abortion access. In February, the Republican-controlled Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF are considered children under state law. In response, Trump urged Alabama legislators to ensure the continued availability of IVF, leading to the passage of a protective law in March.
This ruling posed a political challenge for Republicans, prompting several leaders to distance themselves from the Alabama decision, which could negatively affect their electoral prospects.
According to a Pew Survey last year, 42% of Americans have either undergone IVF treatments or know someone who has. This percentage increases among middle-income (45%) and high-income (59%) Americans—demographics that are more likely to be white and Republican voters, a group Trump aims to regain support from after losing ground in the 2020 election.
Addressing supporters at a rally in Michigan, Trump reiterated his stance, stating, “Your government will pay for, or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for, all costs associated with IVF treatment.”
However, Democrats remained skeptical of Trump’s commitment to such a policy. Democratic National Committee spokesperson Aida Ross stated, “Americans have seen with their own eyes how Donald Trump overturned Roe v Wade and paved the way for extreme Maga Republicans to restrict IVF and pass cruel abortion bans across the country, hurting women and families.”
“When voters head to the ballot box this November, they will vote for the Harris-Walz ticket to protect our freedoms—not Trump and Vance’s all-out assault on our basic rights.”
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