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President Donald Trump issued an executive order Tuesday to lower costs for in vitro fertilization (IVF), causing Republican and anti-abortion backlash.
Why It Matters
A single cycle of IVF costs between $15,000 and $25,000, which has left many families unable to access the fertility treatment.
While it doesn't change any costs, Trump's order instructs federal agencies to develop policies to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients.
What To Know
Trump signed the order as a way to expand access to IVF for families across the country.
"I've been saying we're going to do what we have to do," Trump said in a news conference Tuesday. "I think the women and families [and] husbands are very appreciative of it."
The order "directs policy recommendations to protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments," according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
While Trump pledged to make IVF more affordable during his campaign, the promise clashed with some of his conservative, anti-abortion base.
Across the anti-abortion movement, many oppose IVF as the practice is seen as killing or destroying embryos in the process.
During IVF, doctors fuse a sperm and egg to create embryos and then implant them in a woman's womb. During the procedure, undesirable embryos are often destroyed.
What People Are Saying
Anti-abortion organization Live Action President Lila Rose, on X: "Only 7% of human embryos created via IVF will result in a live birth. 93% of these lives are frozen indefinitely, miscarried, or aborted. Over 1,000,000 embryos are frozen in the U.S. IVF is NOT pro-life."
Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins, on X: "Please stop and study the IVF industry, which is disturbing as it preys on desperate families, kills humans in the embryonic stage, and promotes eugenics."
Edward Feser, a Catholic philosopher and professor at Pasadena City College, onX: "There should be no funding for it whatsoever, and no Trump supporter who would fail vigorously to resist such a move can claim to be genuinely pro-life... Catholics and other pro-lifers: Ask yourself what you would say and do if a Democrat had done this. If you will not say and do the same thing when Trump does it, then you are a hypocrite whose loyalty to your party has trumped loyalty to your religion and to the natural law."
Ben Zeisloft, editor of conservative publication The Republic, on X: "For every baby born as a result of IVF, there are several others indefinitely frozen, selectively aborted, or simply tossed in the trash. May God bless the entire Trump administration with swift repentance from this wickedness."
Seth Gruber, CEO and founder of anti-abortion White Rose Resistance, on X: "IVF IS NOT PRO-LIFE! Trump cannot say he is the most pro-life president in history while also expanding access to IVF. Big fertility kills MORE innocent lives than the abortion industry. Let that sink in. Make your voices heard and let Trump know we DO NOT support this!"
What Happens Next
The U.S. Domestic Policy Council will issue the Trump administration a list of policy recommendations to achieve the goal of reducing IVF costs within 90 days.
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About the writer
Suzanne Blake is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on consumer and social trends, spanning ... Read more