In the United States, the issue of test-tube babies has become a hot topic in the election. Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that if elected in November, he would request the government or insurance companies to cover the costs of test-tube baby fertility treatments.
During a campaign event in Portage, Michigan on Thursday, August 29th, Trump told his supporters, “Your government will pay or require your insurance companies to cover all associated costs of test-tube fertilization treatments.”
“We want more children,” Trump said. He also mentioned that his administration would advocate for allowing newborn parents to deduct “major newborn expenses” from their taxes.
Trump’s promise regarding test-tube babies is seen as a move to appeal to female voters and those concerned about his abortion rights record.
However, Trump did not elaborate on how his government would fund the costs of test-tube baby treatments and amend the U.S. tax laws, nor did he specify if he would seek congressional action on his proposals.
Currently, not all states mandate insurance companies to cover the costs of test-tube babies. Even within insurance coverage, test-tube babies can be a costly fertility treatment, with expenses for medications and procedures possibly running into thousands of dollars.
Last week, Trump posted on his “Truth Social” platform that his government would make a “significant contribution to women and their reproductive rights” – a statement that was interpreted as an attempt by Trump to moderate his stance and drew criticism from evangelical groups.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, a Federal Senator from Ohio, stated on Sunday, August 25th, that Trump would veto a national abortion ban if passed by Congress.
During Trump’s presidency, after appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices, the U.S. Supreme Court witnessed its most conservative stance in decades. In June 2022, the Supreme Court officially overturned the 1973 ruling legalizing abortion in the Roe v. Wade case, delegating the legal status of abortion from the federal to state level.
In February of this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that under state law, frozen embryos should be considered children, making the destruction of frozen embryos potentially subject to legal sanction.
This ruling has created uncertainty over the legal storage, transportation, and use of embryos, prompting some test-tube baby patients to consider moving frozen embryos out of the state.
Polls indicate that since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential candidate, Trump’s support among female voters has decreased.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday, Harris led Trump by 13 percentage points among female voters with a 49% to 36% margin. In a poll conducted in July, her lead was 9 percentage points.
Harris criticized Trump’s anti-abortion stance in her speech, portraying Republicans as a threat to women’s rights, including the right to access contraception and fertility treatments.
Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for Harris, stated on Thursday, August 29th, that Trump should not be trusted on issues related to women’s reproductive healthcare.
Chitika said, “Due to Trump overturning the Roe v. Wade case, test-tube babies have come under attack, and women’s freedoms across the country have been deprived.”
(Note: This article contains information referenced from reports by Reuters.)