Last week the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen human embryos in IVF clinics are considered children under state law. This ruling meant that two wrongful death lawsuits could proceed against an IVF clinic who had a patient break in and destroy frozen human embryos. The ruling also caused Alabama clinics to pause “IVF treatments out of concern that doctors or patients could face criminal prosecution” in the destruction of these embryos.
This has outraged the left and given them political fodder for their pro-baby murder arguments in an election year.
And now we learn that the NRSC, run by Republican Senator Steve Daines, is pushing Republican Senatorial candidates to oppose this ruling as it has restricted access to IVF treatments. Why? Primarily because of politics.
Here’s more from Axios:
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is urging candidates to strongly oppose the Alabama Supreme Court ruling restricting access to fertility treatments, Axios has learned.
The Senate Republican campaign arm sent a memo to candidates Friday morning, urging them to “clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government to restrict IVF,” or in vitro fertilization, according to a copy obtained by Axios.
It called the Alabama ruling “fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain.”
“There are zero Republican Senate candidates who support efforts to restrict access to fertility treatments.”
One senior GOP aide told Axios that anyone not speaking out on the ruling would be committing “political malpractice.”
The memo encourages candidates to show support for fertility-related services “as blessings for those seeking to have children,” and to oppose any efforts to restrict access to IVF “as a defense of family values and individual freedom.”
It also tells candidates to push for better access, including insurance coverage and support.
What they’re saying: “Make no mistake — defending life and ensuring continued access to IVF services for loving parents are not mutually exclusive,” Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said in a statement.
“Ultimately, IVF helps create life and grow families, and it deserves the protection of the law,” she added.
Britt was one of the first lawmakers to criticize the ruling.
Republican candidate Dave McCormick, who is running for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, posted that “IVF is a ray of hope for millions of Americans seeking the blessing of children. I oppose any effort to restrict it.”
“We want to find more ways to bring beautiful babies into this world, not less,” posted Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. “I will fight against efforts to restrict it.”
“The Alabama ruling should be overturned,” said former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who’s running for Senate.
I don’t see how Republicans can oppose this ruling. You can’t claim to be pro-life and want to discard this ruling simply because of the effect it has had on IVF in Alabama. Either an embryo is a life or it is not a life. You can’t have it both ways.
The problem with IVF, aside from the immorality of creating a human embryo in a petri dish, is that so many of these embryos are frozen or get destroyed in multiple ways. Either they are discarded by the IVF facility or they are aborted in the mother’s womb because two many embryos were implanted to ensure success. It’s really an obscene process and it needs to end. If you are against abortion you should be against IVF.