The Alabama Supreme Court ruling that essentially bans in vitro fertilization as we know it in the state, issued by judges who have ties to the Christian nationalist movement, is a massive liability for Republicans going into the 2024 election, former GOP strategist Tara Setmayer told MSNBC guest host Michael Steele.
This comes after Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) gave a confused response on the issue to reporters, first saying he supported the decision before saying he actually supported IVF, not appearing to understand what IVF even was or what the court's ruling did.
"How is this Alabama ruling roiling Alabama public politics?" asked Steele, who himself used to chair the Republican National Committee before becoming disillusioned with the current state of the party.
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"The idiot Senator Tuberville is palpable and extraordinary at times," said Setmayer. "It's not the only time he has sounded like a moron. And he's paid for by the taxpayers of Alabama."
"Listen, this is another example of a kryptonite issue for Republicans," she continued. "They know that the majority of the American people are pro-choice and the overwhelming majority of people are pro-IVF, including their own constituents in the Republican Party, including the evangelicals who overwhelmingly support IVF. There have been 8 million babies born through IVF in this country. So according to this Alabama Supreme Court ruling, I guess then, all of those babies and all of those families who have had the gift of life, thanks to this technology, should not have been born. And all those people who were looking forward to have children that suffer from infertility, which is over 6 million women in this country, they just shouldn't have that opportunity."
"Republicans do not want to have this discussion," Setmayer added. "If I'm the Democrats, I'm going to go out and showcasing all the families in my district or state or even a national election that have had successful IVF pregnancies and say to them, I challenge Republicans to say that these children should not have had an opportunity at life. I mean, the extremism now is really beginning, I think, to sink in for some people, particularly women across this country who feel as though they are under attack. And they are. The rights of women in this country are under attack daily. And the Republican Party is at the helm of it."
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