The Alabama Supreme Court ruling highlighted divisions in the Republican Party between staunch abortion opponents who say life begins at conception and those who want to protect in vitro fertilization treatments.
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Former President Donald J. Trump speaking to the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville on Thursday.
Former President Donald J. Trump on Friday broke his silence on the Alabama Supreme Court’s declaration that frozen embryos are entitled to legal protection, distancing himself from the staunchest abortion opponents in calling on the state’s Legislature to “act quickly” to protect in vitro fertilization treatments, which he said should remain legal in every state.
The remarks, after days of silence on the topic, come as he seeks to contain damage from the ruling, which has highlighted divisions in the Republican Party between those who say life begins at conception and those who want to protect reproductive services like I.V.F.
“We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder! That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America,” Mr. Trump said in a statement on his social media website.
The ruling this week by Alabama’s top court has set off a new round of backlash for Republicans from a broad spectrum of Americans who support the use of I.V.F. treatments, in which multiple eggs are fertilized in the hope that one embryo can be successfully implanted, for would-be parents who are having difficulty conceiving.
Democrats, led by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, have assailed the decision as the inevitable consequence of the Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade, which they say Mr. Trump is responsible for since he nominated justices who are opposed to constitutional protections for abortion.
“Trump cannot run from his record and neither can the millions of women who his actions have hurt,” Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Mr. Biden’s campaign manager, said in a statement after Mr. Trump’s post on Friday.
But Mr. Trump’s remaining Republican opponent for the party’s presidential nomination, Nikki Haley, gave the former president a significant opening when she told NBC News that she agreed with the Alabama decision. Both candidates have tried to appear more moderate on the issue of abortion, given the power of abortion rights in recent elections.
“The Republican Party should always be on the side of the Miracle of Life — and the side of Mothers, Fathers and their Beautiful Babies,” Mr. Trump wrote. “IVF is an important part of that.”
Jonathan Weisman is a politics writer, covering campaigns with an emphasis on economic and labor policy. He is based in Chicago. More about Jonathan Weisman
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Source: nytimes.com
