President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that aims to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and reduce costs.
The order is a stride toward Trump’s campaign pledge to have either the government or insurance companies cover the cost of IVF, which can cost between $15,000 and $30,000, according to GoodRx for one cycle. Trump has contended that Republicans should “make it easier for mothers and families to have babies — not harder.”
“These are treatments that have become unaffordable for many Americans or have been unaffordable for many Americans,” White House staff secretary Will Scharf said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “And the executive order is a directive to the Domestic Policy Council to examine ways to make IVF and other fertility treatments more affordable for more Americans.”
The document does not order the government or insurance companies to cover the cost of IVF, but it is the “first step” in actions the Trump administration could take in trying to abide by his campaign pledge, a White House official told Notus.
“The recommendations will focus on how to ensure reliable access to IVF,” the executive order fact sheet states. “Priority will also be placed on addressing any current policies, including those that require legislation, that exacerbate the cost of IVF treatments.”
The order further highlights the trouble some families have in getting pregnant and “recognizes the importance of family formation and that our Nation’s public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children,” the fact sheet states.
IVF is process by which “mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab, [and] then a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilized eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, which is where babies develop,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
IVF became a flashpoint ahead of the 2024 presidential election after the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling that anyone who destroys a frozen embryo may be held liable under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act — a law that has historically applied to born and unborn children. The lawsuit was brought by several couples in 2020 after a patient at a clinic accessed, dropped, and destroyed their frozen embryos.
Several clinics in the state promptly paused offering IVF until the Republican-controlled Alabama House and Senate passed companion bills shielding IVF clinics.
The whole ordeal was weaponized by abortion-focused Democrats during an election season to paint Republicans as not only anti-abortion, but anti-family. Many Republican lawmakers have openly stated that they believe life begins at conception, which would include an embryo created through IVF. In the process of IVF, several embryos are usually created, and many are often disposed of or left frozen indefinitely.
Even so, Republicans decided to largely galvanize in support of IVF ahead of the election, including lawmakers like Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Rick Scott (R-FL).
But among many conservatives, and particularly the pro-life movement, IVF is problematic and lacks meaningful industry oversight. Many moral and ethical quandaries currently surround the process, including disposal, experimentation, longterm storage, eugenic-style embryo selection, and even selective abortions later on.
According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 85,000 infants were born as a result of IVF in 2021.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
