Former President Donald Trump’s proposal to have authorities or insurance coverage corporations cowl IVF was an unprecedented shift final week — and Republicans are break up on whether or not to help it.
Two distinguished Republican senators — each robust supporters of Trump — took completely different approaches to the difficulty of in vitro fertilization on Sunday morning, highlighting the break up within the get together over whether or not to help the measure.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) supported the brand new IVF proposal, including that he believed most Republicans can be open to the concept. The Arkansas senator mentioned that the fiscal affect and “whether or not the taxpayer can afford to pay for this.”
“Effectively, all Republicans, to my information, help IVF, within the Congress. And there is not any state that prohibits or regulates IVF in a means that makes it inaccessible,” Cotton mentioned in an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It’s costly for a lot of {couples}. I perceive that. So, it is one thing I am open to, that almost all Republicans can be open to.”
He added, “In precept, supporting {couples} who’re making an attempt to make use of IVF or different fertility therapies, I do not assume is one thing that is controversial in any respect.”
However Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) disagreed: The South Carolina senator mentioned he wouldn’t help mandating insurance coverage protection of IVF “as a result of there’s no finish to that.” As a substitute he mentioned he would favor a tax credit score in an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week.”
“We have now tax credit for individuals who have youngsters. Perhaps we should always have a means-tested tax credit score for individuals utilizing IVF and different therapies to develop into pregnant,” Graham mentioned. “I’d help a tax credit score, means-tested, sort of like we do with youngsters, that is smart to me, to encourage individuals to have youngsters.”
IVF turned a significant marketing campaign situation in February when the Alabama Supreme Courtroom declared frozen embryos to be youngsters beneath state legislation, which led to the likelihood that medical professionals might be criminally prosecuted for embryos which are misplaced within the course of.
Each Republicans had been amongst 47 Republicans who voted against a bill in June designed to increase entry to IVF and different fertility therapies. Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, supported the measure, which Cotton on Sunday known as “Chuck Schumer’s ridiculous messaging invoice.”
As for Trump’s unprecedented name for public funding for IVF, Graham mentioned Trump is “simply making an attempt to point out his help for IVF therapies.”
“We’ve been accused — the get together has — of being a bit towards contraception. We’re not,” Graham mentioned. “We’ve been accused of being towards IVF therapies. We’re not.”
