Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) claimed on Sunday that every Republican in Congress supports in vitro fertilization (IVF) despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of GOP senators, including Cotton, voted against a bill to establish a woman’s right to IVF earlier this year.
Access to IVF has become a top issue in this year’s presidential election. Democrats argue that limitations on IVF could be next after the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and several Republican-led states take extreme measures to restrict the procedure.
On Thursday, Trump tried to moderate his stance on fertility treatments with his promise that he would require either the government or insurance companies to cover the costs of IVF treatments.
In an interview with Meet The Press on Sunday Cotton said that Republicans would be “open” to Trump’s proposed IVF plan after evaluating fiscal impact since they all support access to IVF.
“All Republicans to my knowledge support IVF in Congress and there is no state that prohibits or regulates IVF in a way that makes it inaccessible. It is expensive many couples, I understand that. So, it’s something I’m open to that most Republicans would be open to,” Cotton said.
“I think we would have to evaluate the fiscal impact whether the taxpayer can afford to pay for this, what impact it would have on premiums,” he added. “But in principle, supporting couples who are trying to use IVF or other fertility treatments, I don’t think is something that’s controversial at all.”
However, in June all Republicans except Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) voted against advancing a bill to make it a right nationwide for women to access IVF and other fertility treatments.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) in response to an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos should be considered people, leading some clinics in the state to suspend IVF services over fears that they could be held liable for wrongful death if something happens to embryos at one of their facilities.
The bill only gained 48 votes, well short of the 60 votes needed to pass in the Senate.
Asked about his opposition to the bill on Sunday, Cotton dismissed the legislation as a “ridiculous messaging bill.”
