Senate Democrats dismissed President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on Wednesday calling his efforts to make in vitro fertilization more affordable a “PR stunt” from a “known liar.”
On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order to study how to expand access to in vitro fertilization and make the process more affordable. "The Order directs policy recommendations to protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on X.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill, had strong words as well. “If he is actually serious about taking real action to accomplish his own campaign promise to make IVF free for everyone, there’s a simple way he can prove it: He can call on Senate Republicans to immediately back my Right to IVF Act that would require insurance plans to cover IVF, she said in a statement. “Otherwise, it’s all just lip service from a known liar.”
IVF became a major campaign issue after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last February three couples could pursue wrongful death lawsuits for their "extrauterine children.”
The ruling had a chilling effect on IVF treatment in the state until Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill in March giving patients and providers immunity from potential legal liability. Lawmakers from both parties then jockeyed for position to establish themselves as being the savior for the process.
In August, Trump went against the pro-life wing of his party and proposed expanding access to the treatment through a variety of methods.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, likewise called the Trump order a meaningless public relations exercise. “Let’s be clear: this PR stunt does NOTHING to actually expand access to IVF. Republicans created this mess by overturning Roe and they’ve blocked legislation MULTIPLE TIMES that WOULD make IVF care more accessible and affordable for families. Give me a break,” Murray posted on X.
Not all conservatives were on board with Trump’s efforts, but for differing reasons than Democrats. Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group LiveAction posted, “President Trump just signed an order expanding IVF Only 7% of human embryos created via IVF will result in a live birth 93% of these lives are frozen indefinitely, miscarried, or aborted Over 1,000,000 embryos are frozen in the U.S.”