Scoop: Vulnerable House Republicans sign onto pro-IVF measure
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Rep. Nancy Mace. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images.
A half dozen swing-district House Republicans are signing onto a resolution supporting access to fertility treatments, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and former President Trump have scrambled to distance themselves from an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has frozen IVF services in the state.
Driving the news: Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) and Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) are signing on as co-sponsors to the measure, according to a press release first shared with Axios.
- All except Van Drew represent districts President Biden won in 2020.
- The five-page resolution, introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), condemns "any judicial ruling that would result in restricted access to fertility care."
- It also "calls on elected officials at all levels of government to reject proposals that would put access to fertility care ... in jeopardy."
Catch up quick: The Alabama ruling earlier this month determined that frozen embryos created through IVF have the same legal protections as children.
- That led clinics and hospitals in the state to pause IVF treatments due to fear of legal backlash.
- The Republican-controlled Alabama legislature on Thursday passed a bill to protect doctors and patients involved in IVF.
Between the lines: Polls show that IVF is overwhelmingly popular with the American public.
The other side: Democrats have seized on the Life at Conception Act, a Republican-led bill that grants equal protections for "all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization."
- Nearly a dozen vulnerable House Republicans have previously supported, or currently co-sponsor, the legislation.
- Democrats have also been pushing legislation since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 to create federal protections for IVF.
Go deeper: Conservatives struggle to find coherent message on Alabama IVF ruling
