Following the historic and divisive ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court, the leading super PAC for House Democrats intends to utilize its financial clout to criticize Republicans about in vitro fertilization treatments, according to a story published by Axios on Friday.
The Life at Conception Act was co-sponsored by about a dozen House Republicans in competitive districts between 2021 and 2023, according to a memo from House Majority PAC (HMP).
The bill would “grant equal protection” for “every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization.”
The Alabama decision, which determined that frozen embryos are children, and the negative impact it has already had on IVF clinics are being quickly distanced from by Republicans in both houses of Congress.
“While some House Republicans may pretend to oppose the ruling, their support tells a drastically different story,” the note states. “HMP can guarantee that their support will be used against them over paid media in competitive House districts across the country this fall.”
Republican Congressional Leadership Fund spokesman Courtney Parella referred to the email as “sheer nonsense” and “nothing but a desperate political ploy to deceive voters when Members obviously support IVF and have made it clear they do.”
Named in the memo as well, Republican congressman from Nebraska Don Bacon told Axios that Democrats “always twisted the intent of that bill” and that he backed a prior version because it “had no limiting effect.”
“I didn’t get on this bill this [congressional session] because I asked them to craft more carefully so that it couldn’t be twisted by the Dems,” he stated.
Many of the Republicans listed in the memo have publicly endorsed IVF therapy in the wake of the Alabama ruling.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., informed the outlet that she plans to propose a resolution and legislation to overturn the Alabama ruling, while Bacon stated to Axios that he favors the fertility procedure.
Representative David Valadeo, a Republican from California, “does not support federal restrictions on IVF,” according to a representative for the congressman, and in statements, former lawmakers Mayra Flores, a Republican from Texas, and Yvette Herrell, a Republican from New Mexico, who are vying for their former seats, said they supported access to the reproductive treatment.
Rep. Michelle Steel, a Republican from California, discussed her personal struggles with pregnancy in a post on X, stating, “I believe there is nothing more pro-life than helping families have children, and I do not support federal restrictions on IVF.”
The Republican congressman from California, Mike Garcia, told Axios that the “Alabama ruling should be overturned.”
“IVF helps countless Americans become parents … and the government should never stand in the way of that,” he stated.