The leading Republican candidates for Senate are mounting a coordinated counteroffensive to Democratic claims that the party wants to limit access to in vitro fertilization.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, spurred by the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos are human beings, released a memo on Friday urging that candidates “clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government to restrict IVF,” a method of last resort for couples struggling to get pregnant.
The ruling did not outlaw IVF, but Alabama fertility centers have begun to drop the treatment for fear of prosecution in the event an embryo is damaged in the fertilization process.
The decision presents a dilemma for Republicans caught between their support for “pro-life” policies and their party platform of nurturing the family unit. For Democrats, it is another wedge between Republicans and the swing voters opposed to a rollback of reproductive care nationally.
Abortion has created a sharp divide among Republicans since the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. But the Senate GOP campaign arm has sought to signal virtual unanimity on the topic of IVF.
“There are zero Republican Senate candidates who support efforts to restrict access to fertility treatments,” the NRSC memo stated.
Following its circulation, a wave of candidates posted statements on X to voice opposition to restrictions.
Those statements spanned the ideological spectrum, from conservatives such as Kari Lake in Arizona to centrists such as Larry Hogan in Maryland.
“IVF is a ray of hope for millions of Americans seeking the blessing of children,” said Dave McCormick, a Senate candidate in the swing state of Pennsylvania. “I oppose any effort to restrict it.”
There was, however, some nuance. Hogan, running in blue Maryland, called for the Alabama Supreme Court to overturn its ruling, a statement absent from most of the posts.
The decision has caused a scramble among Republicans on messaging. Presidential candidate Nikki Haley struggled to navigate the balancing act, saying that “embryos, to me, are babies,” before clarifying, “It is very important that women like me have the ability to have that blessing of a baby.”
The NRSC memo gives Senate candidates a three-point blueprint to follow when asked about the treatment: express support for IVF, oppose restrictions, and campaign on increased access.
“When responding to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, it is imperative that our candidates align with the public’s overwhelming support for IVF and fertility treatments,” the memo noted.
The NRSC noted that a “staggering” 85% of respondents in a survey commissioned by Kellyanne Conway, an ex-counselor to former President Donald Trump, back “fertility-related procedures and services.”
The Biden campaign cited the survey in tying his 2024 rival to the IVF decision.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Donald Trump is responsible for every abortion ban, every attack on contraception, and every cruel, dangerous restriction placed on women and their ability to decide when and how to build a family,” spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said in a statement. “He cannot run from the fact that his justices overturned Roe v. Wade.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took a swipe at its Republican counterpart over the memo. “The fact that the NRSC had to tell their candidates how unpopular their own agenda opposing women’s reproductive rights is speaks for itself,” it said in a statement.
NRSC IVF Candidate Memo by web-producers on Scribd
