Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) suggested he could support protections for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments after former President Trump called on Alabama to preserve access to the treatment following a controversial court ruling that led to some medical facilities pausing the procedure.
“Like any type of bill that gets drafted on Capitol Hill, I want to see the devil in the details. But yes, I feel I could broadly support that. Because, like I said, IVF is something that is so critical to a lot of couples. It helps them breed great families. Our country needs that,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked if he would support protecting IVF services at the federal level.
The Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that frozen embryos are people, marking the first time a court has given protections so early following conception. Trump later called on Alabama to protect access to IVF treatments after some clinics in the state suspended IVF services.
Donalds was asked about comments he reportedly told reporters last week before Trump weighed in saying that he supported the state Supreme Court’s decision. He said that he he had not heard about the ruling when the question was asked to him.
“Well, first, I do support IVF because I have several friends who have gone through that procedure. It has made their families whole. It has allowed them to have children. Their children are beautiful. They’re wonderful. I totally support the procedure,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker.
“Number two, when the MSNBC reporter asked me that question, I was in the middle of a hallway. I heard the tail end of it. I didn’t hear about the Alabama ruling. It was about do I support that embryos should be protected as life. Look, embryos are important to the production of life,” he added.
He also echoed Trump’s call to want to help families have more children instead of making it harder.
“And I believe, as President Trump has also said, we really want the Alabama legislature to make sure that that procedure is protected for families who do struggle with having children. That helps them actually create great families, which is what our country desperately needs,” Donalds said.
