Former President Donald Trump said Friday that he supports women having access to in vitro fertilization in response to the Alabama Supreme Court’s IVF ruling and called on Alabama lawmakers to “act quickly to find an immediate solution” to keep the procedure available in the state.
With his remarks, Trump joins a swirl of Republicans moving to distance themselves from the Alabama court’s finding that that frozen embryos are children under state law and that those who destroy them can be held to blame for wrongful death. The ruling has exposed how much the landscape for reproductive rights has shifted since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and highlights what is likely to become a key campaign issue this year with control of Congress and the White House on the line.
Republican candidates and lawmakers alike have at times struggled in their reactions to the ruling while stressing their support for access to IVF treatment.
Trump offered his first reaction to the decision on Friday, initially on social media and then at campaign rally in South Carolina.
“Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, including the vast majority of Republican conservatives, Christians and pro-life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious little beautiful baby. I support it,” the former president said in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
“And today I’m calling on the Alabama legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama. And I’m sure they’re going to do that,” he added.
His comments echo those of GOP primary rival Nikki Haley, who said Thursday that she disagreed with the ruling and felt Alabama may need to “go back and look at the law.”
In a…
Read the full article here