In response to Donald Trump trying to cover for his dangerous record of paving the way for threats to IVF access, DNC Spokesperson Aida Ross released the following statement:

“Donald Trump’s latest unhinged lie is that he’s the ‘father of IVF,’ a procedure that has been helping Americans start or grow their families for decades, which Trump has now put at risk. Trump’s ties to the extreme anti-IVF movement run deep – his own VP pick even voted against enshrining basic protections for IVF access into law. If given the chance, Trump and his Project 2025 allies will take their extreme anti-choice agenda even further and threaten IVF access and reproductive freedoms nationwide.”

Donald Trump’s latest “objectively absurd” claim is that he’s the “father of IVF.” The reality is Trump actually made attacks on IVF access possible by “proudly” overturning Roe v. Wade.

Caitlin Huey-Burns, CBS: “Trump’s claim that he is the ‘father of IVF’ is not only false, it’s objectively absurd. In the same town hall, he said that he had to ask Sen. Katie Britt to explain IVF to him. Those two statements are completely at odds with one another.”

Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN: “‘I’m the father of IVF,’ Trump said at his Fox town hall.

“IVF was first done successfully in 1978. 

“The only reason IVF access became an issue now is b/c of Dobbs, made possible by [Trump’s] appointments.

“In September, Vance skipped the vote on a “Right to IVF” bill on the floor.”

CNN: “How the reversal of Roe v. Wade led to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children”

New York Times: “[The Alabama ruling was] made possible by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in its 2022 Dobbs decision, which was a result of Mr. Trump’s appointment of three justices.”

Trump: “I was proudly the person responsible for the ending of Roe v. Wade”

Trump: “For 54 years they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it, and I’m proud to have done it. … Nobody else was going to get that done but me, and we did it, and we did something that was a miracle.”

Trump: “I was able to kill Roe v. Wade … Without me there would be no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, or whatever is finally agreed to. Without me the pro Life movement would have just kept losing. Thank you President TRUMP!!!”

Rolling Stone: “Trump Claims Credit for All Abortion Bans”

Trump’s MAGA minions in the Senate – including his running mate JD Vance — have repeatedly blocked legislation to codify IVF access.

Independent: “JD Vance didn’t even show up to vote on [IVF protections].”

The Hill: “Senate Republicans block legislation to codify IVF access”

Republicans who voted against include: JD Vance.

Vanity Fair: “On Wednesday, Senate Republicans are expected to object to Tammy Duckworth’s Right to Build Families Act, because, surprise: They don’t actually care about families and aren’t ‘pro-life.’

“‘It’s idiotic for us to take the bait,’ Senator JD Vance told Politico, as though the measure were some kind of political trap. (He also noted that he had not actually read the bill yet.)”

Associated Press: “Republicans block Senate bill to protect nationwide access to IVF treatments”

The Hill: “Republicans block bill to protect access to IVF”

“Senate Republicans blocked an effort Wednesday to pass legislation that would federally protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).”

Trump has deep ties to anti-choice extremists working to rip away access to IVF.

HuffPost: “Donald Trump Has Deep Ties To Anti-IVF Movement”

“Like many Republicans, Trump’s words of support don’t align with his past actions on IVF. The current Republican presidential nominee ― who has repeatedly bragged about his role in repealing federal abortion protections ― has deep ties to extreme right-wing organizations that actively oppose IVF.

“During his time as president, Trump appointed several extreme anti-IVF advocates to positions of power […]

“Abortion rights advocates have warned that the anti-choice movement would come for IVF and fertility treatments once Roe v. Wade fell. Currently, more than a dozen states are considering laws that would enshrine fetal personhood, threatening IVF and other fertility treatments.”

The Trump-Vance Project 2025 agenda would threaten IVF access for millions of women, and their extremist allies are already plotting the best ways for Trump to restrict it. 

Politico: “Anti-abortion advocates worked for five decades to topple Roe v. Wade. They’re now laying the groundwork for a yearslong fight to curb in vitro fertilization.

“Since the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos are children, the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups have been strategizing how to convince not just GOP officials but evangelicals broadly that they should have serious moral concerns about fertility treatments like IVF and that access to them should be curtailed.”

Media Matters: “The Heritage Foundation quietly released draconian new IVF policy recommendations for the next GOP president”

“Heritage has been a staunchly anti-IVF voice, supporting Alabama’s controversial Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos cultivated through IVF treatment have the same rights as living children, and that a person can be held liable for destroying embryos. 

“The list of policy suggestions in the recent blog post echoes the MAGA-backed Project 2025, a comprehensive plan Heritage has spearheaded for the next GOP presidential administration that includes calls to eliminate the term ‘reproductive health’ from federal rules and regulations and to tighten restrictions on abortion rights and access to certain emergency contraceptives. In its pieces on IVF, Heritage expands on the extreme conservative agenda outlined by Project 2025.”

The Nation: “Project 2025 Has Bad Medicine for HHS”

“And by declaring that life begins at conception, his manifesto appears to commit HHS to finding ways to outlaw IVF, which relies on generating multiple embryos, most of which are not implanted.”

Axios: “This is undeniably a Trump-driven operation.”

Vance: “I’ve reviewed a lot of [Project 2025]. There are some good ideas in there.”

REALITY CHECK: Attacks on reproductive rights, like Trump and Vance’s anti-choice Project 2025 agenda to threaten IVF access, are wildly unpopular.

ABC News: “Americans continue to support IVF and abortion access”

“The vast majority of registered voters, 80 percent, think IVF should be legal.”
Navigator Research: “Large majorities say reproductive care like birth control pills and IVF should be made easier to access, including majorities of Republicans. … Americans across party lines also say access to fertility planning like IVF should be easier to access, including 72 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of independents, and 53 percent of Republicans.”