Republicans are frantically scrambling to save face as an allegedly pro-family party following a devastating ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court, which has effectively restricted in vitro fertilization across the state.
On Friday, the Senate Republican campaign arm issued a memo urging its political candidates to “clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government to restrict IVF.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee derided the all-conservative court’s decision in a deep red state as “fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain,” according to a copy of the memo obtained by Axios.
And like clockwork, a flurry of Republican candidates across the nation issued their own renewed stances on the issue.
“One in six Americans struggle with fertility issues,” posted Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, slightly downplaying how common infertility is in the U.S., which affects about one in five women.
“In the Senate, I will advocate for increased access to fertility treatment for women struggling to get pregnant. IVF is extremely important for helping countless families experience the joy of parenthood. I oppose restrictions,” Lake continued.
Over in Ohio, Senate candidate Bernie Moreno defended IVF treatments on the basis that his “goal is to promote a culture of life.”
“We have a crisis in this country of people not having enough kids at replacement levels,” Moreno posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I’m in favor of anything that promotes people having more babies & strong families.”
Other Republicans similarly flipped their stance on the issue, robotically miming their support for IVF despite having co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which hoped to recognize fertilized eggs as children at the federal level. Or, as one of the bill’s 166 House Republican co-sponsors, West Virginia Representative Alex Mooney initially put it, “establish personhood at the moment of conception.”
“As someone who struggled to get pregnant, I believe all life is a gift. IVF allowed me, as it has so many others, to start my family. I believe there is nothing more pro-life than helping families have children, and I do not support federal restrictions on IVF,” posted California Representative Michelle Steel on Thursday, despite signing on to the controversial bill in 2021.
But not every lawmaker seemed to be in on the reversed messaging.
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is up for reelection in 2026, mentioned at CPAC on Thursday that he was “all for” his state’s decision, referring to the judicial ruling as a “bill” before admitting that he didn’t consider restricted access to the assisted family conception procedure a “big conversation” and hadn’t actually looked into it.
