The National Republican Senate Committee urged candidates to disavow an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that will disrupt or possibly end in vitro fertilizations.
A messaging memo from the NRSC called on Senate candidates to express support for IVF and reject government restrictions in the wake of the explicitly religious ruling that conferred personhood on frozen embryos, and shows party leaders understand the issue threatens their election chances in November, reported the Washington Post.
“When responding to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, it is imperative that our candidates align with the public’s overwhelming support for IVF and fertility treatments,” wrote NRSC executive director Jason Thielman in the memo dated Friday. "There are zero Republican Senate candidates who support efforts to restrict access to fertility treatments.”
“NRSC encourages Republican Senate candidates to clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government to restrict IVF,” he added.
The memo cited polling that appears to have been conducted by former Donald Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway that showed access to IVF is broadly popular, and GOP Senate candidates Bernie Moreno in Ohio, Tim Sheehy in Montana, Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania and Kari Lake in Arizona each issued statements on social media showing their support for in vitro fertilization.
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Trump's GOP challenger Nikki Haley said she considered embryos the same as babies but said families and doctors should make their own decisions on fertility.
The memo did not issue guidance for how candidates should discuss personhood and embryos but urged them to oppose government restrictions to IVF as "a defense of family values and individual freedom.”
“Clearly state your support for IVF and fertility-related services as blessings for those seeking to have children,” the NRSC memo said. “Highlight the importance of these treatments in fulfilling the dreams of countless families to conceive.”
