Former President Donald Trump promised the federal government would cover in vitro fertilization treatments if he is reelected to a second administration.
“I’m announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for, or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for, all costs associated with IVF treatment, fertilization for women,” Trump said Thursday afternoon during a rally in Potterville, Michigan.
“Because we want more babies, to put it very nicely, and for this same reason, we will also allow new parents to deduct major newborn expenses from their taxes,” Trump continued. “So that parents that have a beautiful baby will be able … so we’re pro-family. Nobody’s ever said that before. But the IVF treatments are expensive. It’s very hard for many people to do it and to get it.”
The GOP has struggled to navigate the political and electoral backlash over the loss of abortion rights after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
In addition, Democrat’s worries over a potential ban on IVF have galvanized them to attack Trump and the GOP as promoters of anti-family policies. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling that gave embryos the same status as a person earlier this year led to state IVF clinics temporarily shutting down to comply with the decision.
Republican lawmakers quickly rushed to defend their support of IVF. They blocked legislation introduced by Democrats that would guarantee a woman’s right to IVF but have proposed separate legislation protecting the procedure.
Trump has attempted to walk a fine line between appeasing Republicans who want abortion restrictions while not angering too many independents and swing state voters opposed to a federal ban as he battles Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
He first previewed his stance on IVF with NBC News and the Detroit News before he announced the policy at the Michigan rally. It is unclear how he would pay for the initiative.
Last week, Trump continued to soften his stance on reproductive matters.
“My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights,” he wrote in a Truth Social post.
It’s a risky move for a candidate whom evangelical leaders have long rallied around, although some have temporarily looked past it.
“The cause is way bigger and younger than Donald Trump,” wrote Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, on social media. “It will shape the GOP beyond this Trump moment. Nothing will deter this movement because it is about saving lives and truly serving women. The short term urgent threat? Harris-walz and all Senate candidates promising unlimited 6,7,8,9 month abortion as the only option for women.”
Dannenfelser was part of a group of anti-abortion leaders who pressured the Trump campaign not to remove support for a federal abortion ban from the Republican National Committee’s platform. But at the behest of Trump, that language was struck from the document.
Hours after the Michigan rally Trump elaborated on his stance on IVF during a town hall in Wisconsin with Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic Hawaii congresswoman who spoke about her own journey with IVF.
“Unfortunately, it was very difficult. We were not successful in trying to get pregnant for us, IVF seemed to be the only option and the last resort. As you know, it’s a, it’s a pretty difficult process. It’s very, very expensive,” Gabbard said.
Trump expressed condolences to Gabbard’s fertility struggles before discussing his new policy.
“And I’ve been seeing a lot of IVF, and I kept hearing that I’m against it, and I’m actually very much for it,” said the former president. “In fact, in Alabama, where the judge ruled against it, and I countered the judge and came out with a very strong statement for it.”
The Harris campaign has long attacked Trump over his appointment of justices who helped overturn Roe. At the Democratic National Convention, several abortion rights leaders addressed attendees and implored them to support Harris over Trump due to her support for protecting reproductive rights.
Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika slammed Trump’s comments Thursday in a statement emailed out to reporters.
“Donald Trump’s own platform could effectively ban IVF and abortion nationwide. Trump lies as much if not more than he breathes, but voters aren’t stupid,” Chitika said. “Because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, IVF is already under attack and women’s freedoms have been ripped away in states across the country. There is only one candidate in this race who trusts women and will protect our freedom to make our own health care decisions: Vice President Kamala Harris.”
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