Former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump unveiled a significant policy initiative supporting in vitro fertilization (IVF) during a rally in Michigan on Thursday evening. He stated that if elected for a second term, his administration would ensure IVF treatment is provided at no cost to all women.
Trump declared, “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. Because we want more babies — to put it very nicely — and for the same reason we will also allow new parents to deduct major newborn expenses from their taxes.”
IVF is a medical procedure that assists women struggling with fertility by fertilizing an egg with sperm in a controlled environment. However, patients often require several treatment cycles, and the cost can reach tens of thousands of dollars per round, with no assurance of success.
Trump’s initiative seems aimed at repositioning him as moderate on women’s reproductive rights amidst the backlash following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, a ruling influenced by three justices appointed by him.
Additionally, for the first time in four decades, the Republican Party recently removed a federal abortion ban from its platform, instead endorsing Trump’s approach of allowing individual states to determine their own laws on the matter.
The impact of this shift on Trump’s proposal is uncertain; it may reflect his influence or be a reaction to recent ballot measures that have strengthened abortion rights in traditionally conservative states.
In contrast, the campaign for his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, urged the public to remain cautious regarding Trump’s claims. Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz 2024 campaign, remarked, “Trump lies as much if not more than he breathes, but voters aren’t stupid. 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.”