Former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced a major policy proposal in support of in vitro fertilization.
Speaking at a rally Thursday night in Michigan, Trump said if he wins a second term in office, his administration would make IVF treatment free to all women.
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"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," Trump said. "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 addresses fertility issues in women by fertilizing an egg with sperm in a laboratory. However, many women require multiple rounds of treatment, and a single round can cost tens of thousands of dollars — with no guarantee of success.
Trump's proposal comes as he has been attempting to present himself as moderate on the issue of women's reproductive rights and quell the backlash he's received over the reversal of Roe v. Wade by a Supreme Court with three Trump appointees.
Trump also suggested he would vote against Florida's six-week abortion ban, angering abortion opponents.
His running mate, Senator JD Vance explained, "He wants states to make their own abortion policy and that will be his position for the remainder of the campaign and the remainder of his presidency."
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Meanwhile, for the first time in 40 years, the Republican Party last month also eliminated a federal abortion ban from the GOP platform, instead throwing support behind Trump's political position of leaving each state to render its own laws.
It's unclear how much this change has to do with the former president's stance or whether it's a response to recent ballot initiatives affirming abortion rights in several historically red states. It's also unclear how Trump plans to fund IVF procedures, which can cost more than $30,000 per cycle with multiple cycles often needed.
In response to Trump's proposal, the campaign for his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, urged voters to be skeptical of the former president's promise.
"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," said Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson Sarafina Chitika. "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."
The Harris campaign also announced a reproductive rights bus tour that will make 50 stops in battleground states in the coming weeks.
