Nearly two weeks after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are actual people, causing several local medical facilities to suspended their in vitro fertilization treatments, Republicans are still eager to tell voters that their party loves IVF.
At least, that is, to a point.
From the House to the Senate to Mar-a-Lago, GOP officials and candidates continue to trip over each other, scrambling to assure the public that the Republican Party is not a threat to IVF. Such rhetoric is belied, however, by broad GOP support for legislation called the “Life at Conception Act,” which would almost certainly have the practical effect of prohibiting in vitro fertilization under federal law.
It’s against this backdrop that one Republican congresswoman has a new idea. Politico reported:
Rep. Nancy Mace is shopping around a nonbinding resolution expressing “strong support” for in vitro fertilization, according to an email from her legislative director obtained by POLITICO. ... The South Carolina Republican’s office is asking fellow House members of both parties to sign on to the resolution by Thursday, which she’s doing “in light of the Supreme Court of Alabama’s ruling that has jeopardized access.”
The fact that Mace is taking this on is understandable: The South Carolinian co-sponsored an earlier version of the “Life at Conception Act,” which did not include any IVF protections. It’s left the Republican on the defensive.
But the detail to remember about Mace’s new resolution is the word “nonbinding.” In other words, the measure would have no force of law or policy significance. For all intents and purposes, her proposal is intended to be symbolic: If the GOP-led House approved the resolution, it would effectively be members’ way of saying they like IVF — without actually doing any meaningful work.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers in both chambers are pursing real legislation. In fact, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is helping take the lead on the “Access to Family Building Act,” which would create legal protections for IVF at the national level. Senate Democrats will try to pass the bill through unanimous consent, perhaps as early as today.
Will Republicans, after investing all kinds of time and energy boasting about their undying affection for IVF, allow Duckworth’s bill to pass? Probably not.
As a HuffPost report explained, Senate Republicans are “struggling” with the issue.
On the one hand, Republicans maintain that they support the continued use of IVF, calling it both pro-family and pro-life. But on the other hand, many in the GOP agree with the central premise of the ruling that found that frozen embryos are children with equal rights, a contradictory position that now has them on the defensive on an issue that is supported by over 80% of Americans, including a majority of Republicans.
The report quoted Republican Sen. Joni Ernst expressing her support for access to IVF. But when asked if she considered frozen embryos children, the Iowan added, “I don’t want to say they’re not children.”
To borrow a line from Rachel, this is a classic “watch what they do, not what they say” issue. Republicans might celebrate in vitro fertilization, but when it comes to ensuring public access to IVF treatments, support from GOP officials is in short supply.