Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake repeatedly referred to in vitro fertilization (IVF) as “UVF” in her debate with Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday.
Lake’s misstatements came during an exchange on the issue of abortion after Gallego noted her support for bans on the procedure in the past, including Arizona’s century-old abortion ban that had no exceptions for rape or incest. She has since flipped her position as a candidate for Senate, as have many Republicans around the country.
“I come from a large family ― I’m the youngest of nine ― and I know a lot about women,” Lake said Wednesday. “I’m a daughter myself, and I want to make sure we have the choice of what our abortion law is in the state of Arizona.”
“I want to make sure UVF is protected,” Lake added. “I have many friends who are here, they’re my friends today because of UVF. And I have many of my friends who have had children and experienced the joy of motherhood and parenthood because of UVF.”
Senate Democrats have tried to pass legislation to protect fertility treatments such as IVF nationwide after Alabama’s Supreme Court declared earlier this year that frozen embryos can be considered children, a decision that wouldn’t have been possible without the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June 2022 that repealed the national abortion rights protections of Roe v. Wade. Republicans have blocked the fertility treatment measure both times it has been brought up in the Senate, however, calling it unnecessary.
During Wednesday’s debate, Gallego slammed Lake for flip-flopping on the issue of abortion rights and said he would back legislation to restore Roe v. Wade’s protections for reproductive rights.
“It is abhorrent that my 15-month old-daughter has less rights than her mother and her grandmother,” Gallego said.
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The Arizona congressman also criticized Lake, a prominent election denier, for refusing to acknowledge her defeat in the 2022 Arizona governor’s race.
“Now you’re going to trust her? This is a woman still lying about the 2022 election,” he said.