Here’s How Donald Trump Aims to Support Families Using Insurance: “We Want More Babies”

Republican nominee Donald Trump has promised to help in the expansion of IVF access through insurance and government funding. In a rally in Michigan , the former President said, “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. We want more babies…And for the same reason, we will also allow new parents to deduct major newborn expenses from their taxes.”

The IVF process often leads to excess production of embryos. Hence, anti-abortion activists have argued how several embryos end up being disposed of. Earlier this year, in February, amidst growing pressure, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that fertilized embryos are to be considered children under the state law which makes the wrongful handling or harm to them, subject to legislative dealing like the death of a minor. This led to the shutting down of many in-vitro fertilization clinics. However, in a Truth Social post, the ex-POTUS assured that he wouldn’t make it harder for wishful parents to have babies.

He penned, “We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder! Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby.”

The ruling reads, “The Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location [including] unborn children who are located outside of a biological uterus at the time they are killed.” The ruling would now allow the future parents to sue clinics for the wrongful death of their embryos. In light of the same, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility— the largest hospital in the state— has paused all IVF treatments.

The National Fertility Association, on the other hand, announced that the shipping of embryos from and to the state won’t take place for the time being. “We are saddened that this will impact our patients’ attempt to have a baby through IVF, but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for IVF treatments,” a statement from the health system, read, as reported by Newsweek . Meanwhile, President Joe Biden deemed the ruling “outrageous and unacceptable.” “Make no mistake, this is a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Until we restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law for all women in every state.”

Recently, Trump has signaled that he would oppose Florida’s abortion ban as well. “Well, I do know, but I do want more than six weeks. I think six weeks is a mistake. And I’ll be expressing that soon, but I want more than six weeks. In Florida, we have a six-week program, and that’s what I believe that you’re voting on, and I think it should be more than six weeks,” Trump said in an interview with the Daily Mail . The decision drew controversy considering many women are not even aware of their pregnancies in the first six weeks.