Donald Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), has been drawing widespread criticism not only for his attacks on "childless cat ladies" and "childless Democrats" who have decided against having children, but also, for his insensitivity to couples who have struggled with fertility. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' running mate, and his wife Gwen Walz have been calling Vance out.
Gwen Walz, during an "Educators for Harris-Walz" event on August 30, commented, "Now, I read that JD Vance said he was really disturbed by teachers who don't have biological children. Well, for a long time, Tim and I were teachers who struggled with infertility, and we were only able to start a family because of fertility treatments. So, this is really personal for me, and I think it is for millions of Americans. We do not take kindly to folks like JD Vance telling us when or how to start our families."
Trump, meanwhile, has responded to the IVF controversy by campaigning on free IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatments for women — a proposal that The Guardian's Arwa Mahdawi slams as "desperate" and "half-baked" in a biting September 3 column.
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"While it may be half-baked, Trump's free IVF policy makes it clear that he is desperate to woo female voters," Mahdawi argues. "Women have registered and voted at higher rates than men in every U.S. presidential election since 1980, and now — for obvious reasons — they are leaning heavily towards Kamala Harris. I'm not sure a last-minute IVF policy is going to cancel out the fact that abortion rights are a key issue in this election and Trump has boasted about being the guy who overturned Roe v. Wade. Nor will it cancel out the fact that Trump is a legally defined sexual predator who can't stop himself from saying every misogynistic thought that creeps into his little head."
According to the New York Times, Vance applauded a series of essays from the Heritage Foundation — creators of the controversial Project 2025 — that included vehement opposition to IVF.
Mahdawi stresses that IVF is incompatible with Republican "fetus personhood" proposals, which means that "Trump seems to be running on a platform where IVF would be free but also effectively illegal."
"Free IVF may sound like a progressive policy on the surface," Mahdawi writes, "but for many on the right, it is linked to a belief that women are nothing more than baby-making machines designed to pass on the legacy of men. A future Donald J. Trump Insemination Institute may not be as far-fetched as it sounds."
Arwa Mahdawi'sfull column for The Guardian is available at this link.
