This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
You could say I&#8217;m pro-life thanks to both of my mothers. My biological mother underwent in vitro fertilization, and she and my biological father had five children. Yet 20 embryos remained frozen. Rather than letting these embryos languish indefinitely or, worse, allowing them to expire, she sought a pro-life solution.
My birth and adoptive mother, meanwhile, having experienced premature ovarian failure, longed to experience pregnancy and have a child. In consultation with Christian leaders, including Focus on the Family founder <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/focus-on-the-family-founder-james-dobson-is-dead-at-89">James Dobson</a>, who would become my godfather, she asked two important questions: Could she adopt frozen embryos, and would her faith allow it?
The answers to both questions came back “yes,” that if the family who created the embryos is unable to parent more children, the embryos need to be adopted. 
After putting together an adoption agreement via Nightlight Christian Adoptions, my parents, Marlene and John Strege, adopted these 20 embryos. Alas, 19 of them did not survive the freeze, thaw, and implantation. I was the lone survivor, and I was born on Dec. 31, 1998.
I was the first adopted frozen embryo.
My father told our story in the book &#8220;A Snowflake Named Hannah: Ethics, Faith, and the First Adoption of a Frozen Embryo.&#8221; After my adoption, Nightlight Christian Adoptions founded the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program to help place other embryos with willing families. Pro-lifers are becoming more aware of the frozen embryo crisis, but the fight to protect the most vulnerable among us is harder than ever.
The IVF industry needs to be reined in. It is highly likely that the number of embryos remaining in frozen canisters now <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/baby-born-decades-old-frozen-embryo-longest-storage-ohio-couple/">exceeds</a> 1.5 million in the United States alone. My heart aches for couples struggling with infertility. Their suffering is real. But compassion for adults longing for children should never come at the expense of the children being created. Each of those embryos deserves the same opportunity I was given. We legally shield bald eagle eggs and sea turtle eggs and nests because we recognize developing life as worthy of protection.
However, human embryos, children like I once was, can be bought, sold, frozen indefinitely, discarded, or destroyed. Another troubling aspect of the IVF industry is that freezing and thawing often result in embryonic loss. In my case, 14 of my 19 siblings did not survive the freeze and thaw. (The other five failed to implant.)
I applaud the Department of Health and Human Services’ recent <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/06/10/trump-admin-moves-to-protect-frozen-embryos-from-destruction/">decision</a> to support embryo adoption. The threat to embryos doesn&#8217;t end with years suspended on ice, though. The movement to conduct embryonic stem cell research on frozen embryos also fails to treat them as human beings, discarding them in favor of &#8220;the greater good.&#8221;
My mother, Marlene Strege, testified in Congress on behalf of the frozen embryos and against embryonic stem cell research in 2001. It was my introduction to pro-life advocacy, though I was asleep in my father’s arms throughout most of the hearing.
The Democratic Party, meanwhile, continued to push for federal funding of the research. But our advocacy to the White House succeeded. In 2006, my mother and I watched in the East Room as President George W. Bush vetoed federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. &#8220;As science brings us ever closer to unlocking the secrets of human biology,&#8221; he <a href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060719-5.html">said</a>, &#8220;it also offers temptations to manipulate human life and violate human dignity. Our conscience and history as a nation demand that we resist this temptation.&#8221;
My mother&#8217;s activism on behalf of the unborn, and especially frozen embryos, has inspired me to follow her lead. I received my sociology degree from Biola University and a master&#8217;s in social work from Baylor University. Today, I am a licensed social worker, providing therapy to people of all ages.
When the Supreme Court was considering its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, my parents and I filed an <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-1392/185061/20210727165822368_41029%20pdf%20Parker%20II.pdf">amicus brief</a> in support of Mississippi’s pro-life law. My Christian upbringing and faith established a standard by which I choose to live my life, specifically from Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” 
Recently, I was invited to testify to a Missouri state Senate subcommittee hearing on a Personhood Amendment. This is how I opened: “Before I had a heartbeat in a womb &#8230; before I had a birth certificate &#8230; before I had a name &#8230; I had an inventory number. For two years, nine months, I existed in a frozen canister of liquid nitrogen. My legal status was not ‘child.’ It was ‘property.’”
I founded Wonderfully Made Adoption Services, International, to support individuals conceived through IVF, assist families pursuing embryo adoption or considering placing their remaining embryos for adoption, advocate for frozen embryos, and educate IVF clinics, adoption agencies, and the public about the ethical and human realities surrounding assisted reproduction.
One area of my counseling work involves adults conceived through IVF and created through donor egg and/or donor sperm. Many of these individuals struggle with questions surrounding identity, biological family connections, and even future relationships because anonymous donations are often used repeatedly across multiple families. Some do not know how many biological siblings they may have or who they could unknowingly encounter in dating relationships.
Another controversial practice within the IVF industry is intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI. In cases where fertilization does not occur naturally in the lab, a technician selects a single sperm cell, removes its tail, and injects it directly into the egg in an attempt to force fertilization. While this technology is often presented as routine medical advancement, it also raises profound ethical questions about the extent to which human life is being engineered and controlled.
The IVF industry also operates within a system that often grades and ranks embryos according to perceived quality. Embryos considered “lower grade” may be discarded, indefinitely frozen, or left behind. Yet many of those embryos grow up to become children and adults with lives, voices, and stories of their own. Some of my closest friends from the Snowflakes embryo adoption community were once embryos deemed less desirable by industry standards.
As someone who was once a frozen embryo myself, these issues are not theoretical to me. They are deeply personal. 
Before I had a birth certificate, a name, or even a heartbeat in the womb, I had an inventory number. Today, millions of embryonic human beings remain frozen in storage across the United States. I was once one of them. My life is proof that these children are not disposable property or laboratory material. They are human beings with futures, identities, voices, and inherent dignity. The question facing our nation is whether we are willing to recognize humanity before more lives are lost in silence.
***
Hannah Strege is a licensed social worker in Colorado and a graduate of Biola University and Baylor University, where she earned her master&#8217;s degree in social work. Strege is widely recognized as the first adopted frozen embryo in the world.

GettyImages-1319491951

I Was One Of 20 Frozen Embryos. I’m The Only One Who Survived.

Upstream

A Florida couple has filed a lawsuit against a fertility clinic in Orlando after they realized the baby they&#8217;ve been raising wasn&#8217;t their own. Tiffany Score was allegedly implanted with another woman&#8217;s embryo last year during the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process.
According to <a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/florida-couple-ifv-error-lawsuit-search-daughter-biological-parents-moral-obligation">Fox 35</a> in Orlando, the couple welcomed the baby girl in December, but became concerned after noticing that she appeared to be a different ethnicity than either parent. The couple wants to raise the baby, but their lawyer told The Daily Wire the main priority is finding her biological parents.
&#8220;We love our little girl, and if possible, we would hope to be able to continue to raise her ourselves with confidence that she won’t be taken away from us,&#8221; Steven Mills and Tiffany Score said in a statement. &#8220;At the same time, we are aware that we have a moral obligation to find and notify her biological parents as it is in her best interest that her genetic parents are provided the option to raise her as their own.&#8221;
Mills and Score are suing the Fertility Center of Orlando, as well as a physician, alleging the doctor implanted the wrong embryo, resulting in Score giving birth to a baby who is not genetically hers or her husband&#8217;s.
The mother underwent an embryo transfer in April of 2025 before giving birth in December. The lawsuit alleges the Fertility Center of Orlando implanted the wrong embryo five years after the couple had the mother&#8217;s embryos frozen.
The lawsuit states that the parents have formed an &#8220;intensely strong emotional bond&#8221; with the baby after Score carried and delivered the child, which the couple named Shea.
&#8220;Despite the certain knowledge that Shea is not their genetically matched child, the emotional bond grows stronger every minute of every day that Shea remains in their care,&#8221; the lawsuit said. &#8220;They would willingly keep her in their care; however, for the sake of both Shea and her genetic parents, they recognize that Shea should legally and morally be united with her genetic parents so long as they are fit, able and willing to take her.&#8221;
The couple&#8217;s attorneys are now seeking an emergency injunction, requiring the clinic to preserve records, notify other potentially affected patients, and begin immediate genetic testing for the clinic&#8217;s clients. The lawsuit, obtained by Fox News, states that Mills and Score are asking the clinic to pay for the genetic testing of every child born whose parents had embryos implanted at the clinic during the last five years.
&#8220;Of equal concern to the Plaintiffs is the obvious possibility that someone else was implanted with one or more of their embryos and is pregnant with or has been pregnant with and is presently parenting one or more of their children,&#8221; the lawsuit stated.
The fertility clinic released a statement to Fox 35, claiming officials are looking into this &#8220;error.&#8221;
&#8220;We are actively cooperating with an investigation to support one of our patients in determining the source of an error that resulted in the birth of a child who is not genetically related to them. Multiple entities are involved in this process, and all parties are working diligently to help identify when and where the error may have occurred. Our priority remains transparency and the well-being of the patient and child involved. We will continue to assist in any way that we can, regardless of the outcome of the investigation.&#8221;
Fox 35 spoke to legal experts who said that a child&#8217;s legal parents are typically the genetic mother and father, not the birth mother.

Credit: Searcy Law

Florida Couple Sues Fertility Clinic Over Embryo Mix-Up: ‘Moral Obligation’ To Find ‘Genetic Parents’

Florida

General

Pregnancy

U.S.

WASHINGTON—Taking into account the anxieties of pro-life groups and the interests of restorative reproductive medicine advocates, President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a plan to lower the cost of in vitro fertilization and infertility treatments for American families.
Trump announced from the Oval Office that his administration had issued guidance allowing employers to cover IVF as part of company insurance plans. This is optional for employers, a senior White House official said on a press call with reporters Thursday, relieving some concerns from religious freedom advocates and pro-life groups. These groups find IVF to be an unethical practice, since it usually involves the creation and destruction of multiple embryos.
The president also revealed that he had reached a third agreement with EMD Serono, a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer of fertility medications, that will result in significant cost savings on fertility treatments.
&#8220;In the Trump administration, we want to make it easier for couples to have babies, raise children, and start the families they&#8217;ve always dreamed of,&#8221; the president said.
Under the deal, GONAL-F, a commonly used fertility medication, will be made available to women who purchase directly from <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/10/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-announces-actions-to-lower-costs-and-expand-access-to-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf-and-high-quality-fertility-care/">TrumpRx.gov</a> at a discount amounting to 796% of the deal price, the White House shared. Low and middle-income women will receive an additional discount of about 2,320% of the deal price when they purchase from TrumpRx.gov. As a result, women will be able to save about $2,200 per cycle of fertility drugs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates.
EMD Serono also announced that, for the first time in its history, it will manufacture IVF drugs in the United States. It will also offer other medicines at a &#8220;deep discount when selling directly to American patients, guarantee MFN prices on all new innovative medicines that come to market, repatriate increased foreign revenue on existing products, and provide every State Medicaid program in the country access to MFN drug prices on EMD Serono products,&#8221; according to the White House.
&#8220;Today, EMD Serono is proud to help President Trump deliver on his promise to you,&#8221; Libby Horne, Senior VP of U.S. Fertility &amp; Endocrinology at EMD Serono, said in the Oval Office on Thursday.
&#8220;Thanks to the president&#8217;s leadership, EMD Serono has worked alongside distributors and other partners to help more families have access to services and innovations that are consistent with other countries. Through our partnership with the administration, we are pleased to announce that Americans will have access to our leading IVF therapies for an 84% discount off list prices.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_987649" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-takes-action-to-reduce-ivf-infertility-drug-prices-after-input-from-life-advocates/white-house-us-president-donald-trump-4" rel="attachment wp-att-987649"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-987649" class="wp-image-987649 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2241105232-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2241105232-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2241105232-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2241105232-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2241105232.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)</div>
Pro-life advocates who regard IVF as unethical had anxiously awaited the president&#8217;s actions, anticipating a policy similar to President Barack Obama&#8217;s controversial contraception mandate that might force Americans into conscience violations.
They&#8217;re not thrilled with the action, but they are a little relieved. As Ethics and Public Policy Center President <a href="https://firstthings.com/trumps-ivf-policy-could-be-worse-but-its-still-bad/">Ryan Anderson wrote</a>, Thursday&#8217;s news was &#8220;the least bad that we could have hoped for.&#8221;
&#8220;The details are still being promulgated, but, as White House officials explained it, there will be no IVF mandate or direct government subsidies for IVF,&#8221; Anderson said. &#8220;Those who feared something akin to the Obama contraception mandate or taxpayer funding of abortion can breathe a sigh of relief. There will be no direct religious liberty or conscience violations, nor implications for taxpayer funding.&#8221;
This was partially because the Trump administration had gone to great lengths to gather the input of pro-life groups and advocates, as well as those pushing &#8220;restorative reproductive medicine,&#8221; treatments optimizing male and female reproductive health, which are also popular among the Make America Healthy Again crowd.
Nearly 18% of the global adult population <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/04-04-2023-1-in-6-people-globally-affected-by-infertility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experiences infertility.</a> Among American women, infertility rates <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr202.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are also alarmingly high</a>. Women across the country are grappling with endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, hormonal imbalances, and more, while men struggle with low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, diet, lifestyle, and other environmental factors.
Some experts, like Heritage Foundation’s Emma Waters, <a href="https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/treating-infertility-the-new-frontier-reproductive-medicine">argue that infertility is a symptom</a> of underlying reproductive health conditions. A lack of research often prevents couples from improving their fertility and, in some cases, starting families. That&#8217;s where restorative reproductive medicine comes in — and the concept has been met with interest by many Americans.
June polling from the Heritage Foundation and JLL Partners <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americans-want-to-prioritize-solving-the-root-causes-of-infertility-over-ivf-poll">found that</a> more than half of Americans want to prioritize solving the root causes of infertility before using IVF as a first-line treatment, and that Americans hold a strong aversion to destroying human embryos.
Live Action, for example, met with the president&#8217;s domestic policy council several times and <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/assets/1749491232-rrm-ivf-memo.pdf">raised suggestions</a> on how to jump-start American fertility and &#8220;not fund unethical, expensive, and ineffective IVF.&#8221;
&#8220;It was bad but not nearly as bad as it could have been and as Trump promised it would be on campaign,&#8221; one pro-life leader shared with The Daily Wire on Friday morning regarding Trump&#8217;s new actions. &#8220;No subsidy and no mandate is a lot different [than] he sounded last fall. So still disappointed he is encouraging IVF at all, but happy it&#8217;s not [a] subsidy or mandate.&#8221;
&#8220;In my book preventing bad things is just as important as doing good things and I think the movement is responsible for preventing the very bad thing of an IVF mandate or government subsidy,&#8221; that leader added.
As Roger Severino, Vice President of Domestic Policy at the Heritage Foundation, noted, Trump&#8217;s announcement was not just about IVF.
&#8220;It expands access to infertility cures that treat root causes &amp; should cover restorative reproductive medicine,&#8221; Severino argued on &#8220;X&#8221; on Friday morning. &#8220;That’s huge and very MAHA.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Important part of <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> IVF announcement today: it’s not just IVF. It expands access to infertility cures that treat root causes &amp; should cover restorative reproductive medicine. That’s huge and very MAHA. <a href="https://t.co/JdTbEcscFo">https://t.co/JdTbEcscFo</a>
— Roger Severino (@RogerSeverino_) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerSeverino_/status/1978979299773329451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
Asked by The Daily Signal&#8217;s Elizabeth Mitchell about how &#8220;the new benefit plan will also include root cause treatments for infertility&#8221; and how he will make sure those &#8220;root cause treatments are equally accessible,&#8221; the president responded: &#8220;I think we&#8217;re going to be doing that.&#8221; Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer noted during the meeting that &#8220;the Department of Labor is issuing their intent today to open up the rulemaking process again for more flexibility.&#8221; 
&#8220;Any time that you have a president who is leading … when you can offer more access to health care at a lower rate, [it] is a benefit to the American people and to the end user, and that&#8217;s exactly what he&#8217;s doing.&#8221;

Trump Strikes Deal With German Merck On Tariffs, IVF Costs

Trump Takes Action To Reduce IVF, Infertility Drug Prices After Input From Life Advocates

Abortion

Donald Trump

A pre-born life frozen since 1994 has finally been welcomed into the world, in what is believed to be the oldest embryo ever brought to birth.
Tim and Lindsey Pierce utilized embryo adoption to grow their family, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-embryo-30-year-birth-ohio-129926d4456dcba4781f155898aca7d8">Associated Press</a>. The Ohio-based couple is part of a small movement of people who focus on frozen embryos currently suspended in time.
For many Christians who believe life begins at conception, it is unthinkable to “dispose of” these fully unique human persons even at their very early stages of development. But embryo adoption remains an underutilized option, especially considering estimates that more than 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored in the United States today.
The Pierces adopted the frozen embryo from Linda Archerd, 62. 
She said she had four frozen embryos after undergoing an IVF procedure more than 30 years ago and gave birth to one daughter. But then she and her husband divorced, stalling her plans to expand her family further. Still, Archerd thought about her embryos and believed they deserved a chance at life, too.
“I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,” Archerd told AP.
She found the Pierces through an embryo adoption agency. One embryo did not survive the thaw, Archerd told the outlet. Two embryos were transferred, but only one implanted, resulting in the live birth of one little boy on Saturday.
The biological mother of the donated embryos said she looks forward to meeting her son, named Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, which was one of the stipulations she put forth for the adoption.
Archerd said she already sees the family resemblance. “The first thing that I noticed when Lindsey sent me his pictures is how much he looks like my daughter when she was a baby,” Archerd said. “I pulled out my baby book and compared them side by side and there is no doubt that they are siblings.”
“I’d love to meet them some day,” she said. “That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby.”
Lindsey Pierce told <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/29/1120769/exclusive-record-breaking-baby-born-embryo-over-30-years-old/#:~:text=The%20embryos%20were%20created%20in,Christian%20%E2%80%9Cembryo%20adoption%E2%80%9D%20agency.&amp;text=A%20baby%20boy%20born%20over,for%20the%20%E2%80%9Coldest%20baby.%E2%80%9D">MIT Technology Review</a> that she and her family are doing fine. “We had a rough birth but we are both doing well now,” the new mom told the outlet. “He is so chill. We are in awe that we have this precious baby!”
“The baby has a 30-year-old sister,” she said. The outlet also noted that she and her husband, Tim, who are 34 and 35 respectively, were only toddlers when their future son was conceived.
“We thought it was wild,” Lindsey said. “We didn’t know they froze embryos that long ago.”
“We didn’t go into it thinking we would break any records. We just wanted to have a baby,” she added, noting how her family thinks the whole thing is “like something from a sci-fi movie.”

Three Decades Later, Life Begins: Ohio Baby Boy Born From 1994 Frozen Embryo

Ohio Baby Conceived, Frozen In 1994 Becomes 'Oldest' Embryo Ever Born

Adoption

babies

Health

Medical Research

Ohio

Pro-Life Movement

Science

The White House is not planning to force insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization treatments, according to a report over the weekend.
The Trump administration is not planning to follow through on a campaign pledge to ensure either the government or insurance companies pay for couples to undergo IVF, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/03/trump-administration-ivf-care/">reported</a> Sunday, citing two people with knowledge of internal discussions.
Last August, Trump announced his IVF promise during a campaign rally in Michigan.
“I’m announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,” Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/29/trump-ivf-proposals-costs/">said</a> in his speech.
“We want to produce babies in this country, right?” Trump said.
IVF is a fertility treatment that involves doctors taking eggs from a woman and sperm from a man and creating embryos in a lab, then attempting to implant them in the woman&#8217;s uterus. One round of IVF can cost couples $20,000 or more, and it is not usually covered by insurance.
IVF sprang into the national conversation in the thick of campaign season last year when the Alabama Supreme Court <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-ivf-storage-questions-1adbc349e0f99851973a609e360c242c">ruled</a> that a couple who lost frozen embryos in a clinic accident could file a wrongful death lawsuit over their child&#8217;s demise.
Expanding IVF access remains a &#8220;huge priority&#8221; for Trump, but the administration is not currently considering requiring insurance companies to cover it, the insiders told the Post.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Trump is still working to expand IVF.
“President Trump pledged to expand access to fertility treatments for Americans who are struggling to start families,” the spokeswoman said. “The Administration is committed like none before it to using its authorities to deliver on this pledge.”
One of the Washington Post reporters who authored the IVF story called it an &#8220;apparent L&#8221; for conservatives who promote having children.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New: Trump admin is NOT planning to require health insurers to cover IVF, sources say, in retreat from 2024 campaign pledge
Another apparent L from this admin for the conservative natalists <a href="https://t.co/hJSP3OQ4mG">pic.twitter.com/hJSP3OQ4mG</a>
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1951976844024074252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Another apparent L from this admin for the conservative natalists,&#8221; chief economics reporter Jeff Stein posted on X.
However, while about 63% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/05/13/americans-overwhelmingly-say-access-to-ivf-is-a-good-thing/">say</a> IVF access is a good thing, IVF remains controversial among conservatives, including those who promote big families.
The Catholic Church forbids IVF in part because very <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257066/more-human-embryos-destroyed-through-ivf-than-abortion-every-year">often</a>, many embryos are created in the IVF process only to be destroyed or frozen indefinitely.
Last year, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution expressing alarm about the way IVF is currently done, including the “destruction of embryonic human life.”
Many pro-life conservatives who believe life begins at conception oppose IVF as well.

An embryologist, Oksana Lyzohub prepares reproductive cells

Conservatives Cheer As White House Has No Plans For IVF Coverage Mandate

White House Will Not Make Insurance Companies Cover IVF: Report

Executive

Health Care

Health Insurance

Politics

Trump Administration

WASHINGTON—As the Trump administration debates protections for in vitro fertilization, a new poll shows that more than half of Americans want to prioritize solving the root causes of infertility before using IVF as a first-line treatment.
The polling strikes at the heart of many debates over restorative reproductive medicine, given that many women seek IVF treatments when they experience infertility. President Trump has promised to &#8220;make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.&#8221; As part of that promise, he called for policy recommendations for &#8220;protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment&#8221; in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/expanding-access-to-in-vitro-fertilization/">February executive order</a>.
New polling from the Heritage Foundation and JLL Partners found that Americans do support access to IVF — but not as it currently exists in the United States.
For example, the polling shows support for limiting the number of human embryos created and implanted at one time, as well as strong dislike for destroying human embryos. Under current law, <a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/ivf-industry-regulation-in-the-united-states-changes-are-needed-to-protect-embryonic-children-and-their-families/">there are very few protections for human embryos</a> — or even IVF patients themselves.
<div id="attachment_935069" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americans-want-to-prioritize-solving-the-root-causes-of-infertility-over-ivf-poll/president-trump-signs-executive-orders-at-mar-a-lago-in-palm-beach-florida-6" rel="attachment wp-att-935069"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-935069" class="wp-image-935069 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2200465609-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2200465609-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2200465609-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2200465609-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2200465609.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Trump signs an executive order expanding access to IVF. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)</div>
And more than half of Americans, the polling found, believe the government&#8217;s priority should be treating the root cause of infertility, rather than using IVF as a first line of treatment.
&#8220;Some doctors focus on trying to diagnose and treat the causes of infertility (such as hormonal imbalances, miscarriage, endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes, or other underlying health conditions) while others recommend IVF as an early approach to infertility,&#8221; the poll asked. &#8220;In your opinion, which approach should be prioritized?&#8221;
Fifty-four percent of respondents said that they wanted to prioritize treating the root issue that is causing the symptom of infertility, while 6% said that they wanted to prioritize using IVF as a first-line treatment. Twenty-six percent said they wanted a combination of both, and 13% said they were unsure.
Those sentiments were also shared across key audiences polled, dubbed &#8220;IVF Switcher&#8221; and &#8220;Soft IVF&#8221; — those who are unsure or somewhat supportive of IVF and those who were supportive of IVF at the start of the survey but became unsure or opposed by the end, respectively. These groups were chosen, according to the pollsters, to understand how IVF concerns and risks have fared with the public.
Among IVF Switchers polled, 51% want to prioritize treating the root cause of infertility, 8% want to use IVF as a first-line treatment, 19% want a combination, and 21% are unsure. Among Soft IVF respondents polled, 52% want to prioritize treating the root cause of infertility, 9% want to use IVF as a first-line treatment, 20% want a combination, and 19% are unsure.
The findings are significant given the growing infertility crisis. Nearly 18% of the global adult population <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/04-04-2023-1-in-6-people-globally-affected-by-infertility">experiences infertility</a>, and among American women, infertility rates <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr202.pdf">are also alarmingly high</a>. Women across the country are grappling with endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, hormonal imbalances, and more, while men struggle with low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, diet, lifestyle, and other environmental factors.
Some experts, like Heritage Foundation&#8217;s Emma Waters, argue that infertility is a symptom of underlying reproductive health conditions that need to be treated, but a lack of research often prevents couples from improving their fertility and, often, starting families.
Waters argues that expanding access to treatments optimizing male and female reproductive health, or Restorative Reproductive Medicine, will &#8220;make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies,&#8221; as the president has promised.
“Infertility is not a diagnosis in and of itself,&#8221; explains Dr. Monica Minjeur, director of communications for the International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine. &#8220;We know infertility points to chronic underlying conditions, typically with at least 4-6 factors involved. When we identify these factors, we can provide effective treatment to help optimize fertility for healthy outcomes of mom and baby.”
The Institute&#8217;s president, Dr. Phil Boyle, argues that &#8220;couples struggling with infertility are best served when they receive a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, and restorative treatment to optimize their health and natural reproductive function.&#8221;
This messaging has resonated with some female lawmakers throughout the United States. In Arkansas, Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the “Reproductive Empowerment and Support Through Optimal Restoration (RESTORE) Act” into law in April.
That legislation is modeled on a bill crafted by Waters and Ethics and Public Policy Center&#8217;s Natalie Dodson, establishing a framework for restorative reproductive medicine and a series of medical protocols to treat the root causes of infertility and reproductive dysfunction.
At the time Sanders signed the legislation, Dodson described the bill as &#8220;critical to addressing the nationwide infertility and reproductive health crisis by directly helping the women of Arkansas access much-needed restorative reproductive medical techniques.”
In recent weeks, Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi and Republican Congresswoman Diana Lynn Harshbarger of Tennessee each introduced the <a href="https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/RESTORE%20Act%20119th.pdf">Reproductive Empowerment and Support through Optimal Restoration (RESTORE) Act</a>, legislation that sought to build support for American couples affected by fertility through restorative reproductive medicine.
Hyde-Smith argued at the time that the bill reflects the goals of the &#8220;Make America Healthy Again&#8221; movement, which significantly bolstered the president&#8217;s 2o24 campaign.
“So many couples of today’s childbearing-aged generations face an uphill battle with fertility struggles that are complex and unique to every woman and man,&#8221; Hyde-Smith shared. &#8220;The holistic fertility policy promoted through the RESTORE Act aims to treat the root causes of infertility, many of which stem from chronic conditions and environmental factors that are the focus of President Trump’s MAHA movement.&#8221;
“If we are going to truly support women and men who are ready to embrace parenthood,&#8221; she added, &#8220;then we should promote substantive fertility solutions that ensure access to restorative reproductive medicine—fully healing couples and empowering them with autonomy over how they start and build their families.”
Harshbarger similarly emphasized that &#8220;having children is one of God&#8217;s greatest gifts,&#8221; adding, &#8220;we should be empowering modern medicine and investing in solutions that address the root causes of infertility to bring hope to prospective parents.&#8221;

President Trump Signs Executive Orders At Mar-a-Lago In Palm Beach, Florida

Americans Want To Prioritize Solving The Root Causes Of Infertility Over IVF: Poll

White House

A coalition of pro-life groups led by CatholicVote and Nevada Right to Life urged Nevada Republican Governor Joe Lombardo to veto a bill that would mandate a right to in vitro fertilization, saying that the legislation would be ethically and fiscally reckless. 
In a <a href="https://catholicvote.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Letter-to-Gov.-Joseph-Lombardo.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> delivered to Lombardo on Tuesday, nearly two dozen pro-life and Christian organizations asked the Catholic governor to veto SB 217, a Democrat-backed bill that would create a right to IVF and require public and private health insurance companies to cover the procedures. Opponents fear that the bill would shield the IVF industry from any accountability for questionable bioethical practices and cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. 
“We approach the issue of IVF from varying perspectives. While we are broadly supportive of the general principle of helping families struggling with infertility to conceive, IVF is bioethically and economically problematic. Healthcare must be sensibly regulated,” the pro-life groups wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by The Daily Wire. 
In addition to CatholicVote Vice President Josh Mercer, other signatories include Nevada Right to Life Executive Director Melissa Clement, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Democrats for Life Executive Director Kristen Day, and Moms for America Director Eva Sara Landau.
“The IVF industry currently operates in a wild west, with little to no regulation or restraint on its activities. It is already legal in Nevada. The bill would allow IVF practitioners to operate with complete impunity and hinder the state’s ability to enact health and safety regulations to protect women undergoing what is already a physically and mentally taxing process,” the advocates wrote.
They added that they appreciated Lombardo’s previous actions to “veto unreasonable and often extreme measures from the legislature.”
SB 217, which is also opposed by Nevada’s Republican Party, is estimated to cost at least $38 million in its first two years. 
The <a href="https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bill/12292/Text#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> would also put into law that “a fertilized egg or human embryo that exists before implantation in a human uterus is not a person for legal purposes.” Lawmakers across the country have moved to shield the IVF industry after the Alabama Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alabama-supreme-court-says-couple-can-continue-wrongful-death-lawsuit-over-destruction-of-frozen-embryos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> 8-1 that frozen embryos should be recognized and protected as children. 
Tommy Valentine, director of the Catholic Accountability Project at CatholicVote, told The Daily Wire that SB 217 would allow the IVF industry to operate with virtually no safeguards in place.
“This bill would give the industry carte blanche to act recklessly. Let&#8217;s not forget that this bill is an unfunded mandate which will cost the state tens of millions of dollars per year and increase healthcare premiums for Nevadans,” he said. “It was passed in literally the 11th hour along party lines. A Republican governor should not be signing a bill like this, and we hope he will not.”

Joe Lombardo Makes His First Public Statement Since Being Declared Winner Of Nevada Gubernatorial Race

EXCLUSIVE: Pro-Life Groups Urge Catholic GOP Governor To Veto ‘Extreme’ IVF Bill

Catholics

Christianity

Nevada

A Georgia woman is suing a fertility clinic after she says she was implanted with a stranger&#8217;s embryo.
Krystena Murray, 38, gave birth to a healthy black baby boy in December 2023, following IVF treatments. However, Murray is white, as is the male donor, who has &#8220;dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.&#8221;
After the woman says she told Coastal Fertility Specialists (CFS) of their error, the clinic notified the baby&#8217;s biological parents, who sued Murray for custody of the child. Murray says she gave up the five-month-old baby instead of continuing to pursue a legal fight she was told she couldn&#8217;t win. Murray has not seen the baby since.
&#8220;To carry a baby, to fall in love with him, to deliver him, to build that uniquely special bond between a mother and a child, all to have him taken away,&#8221; Murray <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgFHG9mdVNM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a press conference on Tuesday. &#8220;I&#8217;ll never be the same woman, I&#8217;ll never fully heal or completely move on and part of me will always long for my son.&#8221;
Murray <a href="https://abc7.com/post/savannah-georgia-woman-krystena-murray-gives-birth-another-couples-biological-child-ivf-mix-lawsuit/15929306/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC 7 this week that she still thinks about the child &#8220;every single day.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s not a day that I don&#8217;t wonder what he&#8217;s doing,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I raised him for five months, but I didn&#8217;t get to see his first steps. I don&#8217;t know what his first words are. I don&#8217;t know what milestones he&#8217;s hitting.&#8221;
&#8220;I have never felt so violated, and this situation has left me emotionally and physically broken,&#8221; Murray said at the presser.
The 38-year-old said she took the baby to doctor&#8217;s appointments, breastfed him, and loved him as her own after giving birth.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not privy to what type of person he&#8217;s becoming or how he&#8217;s growing and developing, and it is very hard, and I do think of him every single day and wonder how he is,&#8221; she said.
Murray recalled the moment she first saw the baby she birthed. &#8220;The first time I saw my son, like any mom, he was beautiful and literally the best thing I&#8217;ve ever seen, but it was also immediately apparent that he was African American.&#8221;
&#8220;I would like to say my first thought is, &#8216;He&#8217;s beautiful.&#8217; My second thought was, &#8216;What happened?'&#8221; Murray continued. &#8220;Did they mess up the embryo, or did they mess up the sperm? And if they messed up the embryo, can someone take my son?&#8217; That was all within the course of the first 10 or 15 seconds of me seeing him.&#8221;
Murray, who is now pursuing fertility treatment at another clinic, says she remains in the dark about what happened to her embryo at CFS.
The suit seeks a judgment in excess of $75,000, punitive damages, recovered attorney fees, and other costs and damages, ABC 7 <a href="https://abc7.com/post/savannah-georgia-woman-krystena-murray-gives-birth-another-couples-biological-child-ivf-mix-lawsuit/15929306/">reports</a>.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DgFHG9mdVNM?si=9WttdA8IJ_ye2PYu" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/couple-sues-fertility-clinic-after-aborting-6-month-old-unborn-baby-they-say-wasnt-genetically-theirs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Couple Sues Fertility Clinic After Aborting 6-Month-Old Unborn Baby They Say Wasn’t Genetically Theirs</a>

Midsection of Pregnant Woman Holding Her Belly

IVF Mix-Up: White Woman Shocked To Give Birth To Black Baby After Using White Male Donor

Courts

Lawsuit

Medical

Pro-life organizations and activists issued <a href="https://x.com/RyanTAnd/status/1892017144293896644" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warnings</a> and criticism over President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-signs-executive-order-expanding-access-to-in-vitro-fertilization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> to expand access to IVF (in vitro fertilization), which he signed on Monday.
The popular but controversial fertility method has sparked concern from religious and pro-life Americans who have moral objections to IVF, especially due to the number of embryos that are destroyed in the IVF process.
Lila Rose, pro-life activist and founder of LiveAction, reacted Monday to the order, arguing that &#8220;IVF is NOT pro-life.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump just signed an order expanding IVF,&#8221; she posted on X. &#8220;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.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING:
President Trump just signed an order expanding IVF
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
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) <a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1891961616192700665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America warned that regulations need to be put in place for IVF but said the organization does not outright &#8220;object to ethical fertility treatments.&#8221;
“SBA Pro-Life America does not object to ethical fertility treatments paired with strong medical safety standards that help couples struggling with infertility,&#8221; a <a href="https://x.com/sbaprolife/status/1891993252917616780">statement</a> from the pro-life group said. &#8220;We also believe human embryos should not be destroyed. Rogue practitioners who switch human embryos, fail to follow basic safety standards, or negligently destroy human embryos desired by infertile couples must be held to account under any federal role in fertility treatment.&#8221;
&#8220;At a minimum, affordability recommendations provided under this executive order should take into account health and safety protections for parents and embryos,&#8221; the organization added.
Rachel Campos-Duffy, a Fox News co-host whose <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-duffy-shreds-pete-buttigieg-over-problems-at-faa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">husband works in the Trump administration</a>, suggested Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should instead investigate &#8220;root causes&#8221; of the fertility crisis.
&#8220;I would much rather POTUS &amp; [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] spend our money figuring out WHY infertility in America has skyrocketed rather than subsidizing <a class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://x.com/hashtag/BigPharma?src=hashtag_click">#BigPharma</a> &amp; IVF,&#8221; Campos-Duffy, a devout Catholic, wrote. &#8220;We’re always treating symptoms rather than the underlying root causes in this country!&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I would much rather POTUS &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RobertKennedyJr</a> spend our money figuring out WHY infertility in America has skyrocketed rather than subsidizing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BigPharma?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BigPharma</a> &amp; IVF. We’re always treating symptoms rather than the underlying root causes in this country! <a href="https://t.co/5EM5r837Qu">pic.twitter.com/5EM5r837Qu</a>
— Rachel Campos-Duffy (@RCamposDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/RCamposDuffy/status/1891992330086875254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
Similarly, Catholic advocacy group CatholicVote posted online, &#8220;IVF is NOT the solution to the skyrocketing infertility rates. The IVF industry prioritizes profit over people. There are ethical forms of fertility treatment that help families identify the root cause of their infertility. Subsidizing Big Pharma and IVF is not the answer.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
IVF is NOT the solution to the skyrocketing infertility rates.
The IVF industry prioritizes profit over people.
There are ethical forms of fertility treatment that help families identify the root cause of their infertility.
Subsidizing Big Pharma and IVF is not the answer.
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) <a href="https://twitter.com/CatholicVote/status/1892005606581584128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
Author Katy Faust called the EO &#8220;anti-child.&#8221; 
&#8220;&#8216;Fertility care&#8217; is a euphemism for designer, disposable, and donated (to research) lab-made babies,&#8221; she said. &#8220;<a class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://x.com/hashtag/BigFertility?src=hashtag_click">#BigFertility</a> likely destroys 4x more embryonic life annually than <a class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://x.com/hashtag/PlannedParenthood?src=hashtag_click">#PlannedParenthood</a>. This is an anti-child executive order.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Fertility care&#8221; is a euphemism for designer, disposable, and donated (to research) lab-made babies.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BigFertility?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BigFertility</a> likely destroys 4x more embryonic life annually than <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlannedParenthood?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PlannedParenthood</a>.
This is an anti-child executive order. <a href="https://t.co/qSz9RP13K9">https://t.co/qSz9RP13K9</a>
— Katy Faust (@Advo_Katy) <a href="https://twitter.com/Advo_Katy/status/1891975957965099049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
Host and commentator Liz Wheeler commented generally on IVF, writing, &#8220;Over 90% of children created by IVF die, either left frozen and abandoned, destroyed due to eugenics, experimented on, or miscarried. Only 7% are born. It’s dreadful.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Over 90% of children created by IVF die, either left frozen and abandoned, destroyed due to eugenics, experimented on, or miscarried. Only 7% are born. It’s dreadful.
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) <a href="https://twitter.com/Liz_Wheeler/status/1891961914084753453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
The Trump administration seems open to IVF regulations backed by pro-life groups and potential religious exemptions. As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-signs-executive-order-expanding-access-to-in-vitro-fertilization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> on Monday, the administration noted that the EO calls for policy recommendations, which will include the input of pro-life groups.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
More on IVF order: I asked the White House about concerns regarding conscience protections for religious Americans who object to IVF + concerns about the discarding of embryos.
WH official pointed out to me that the EO calls for policy recommendations, said part of that process… <a href="https://t.co/fVRjzIsPLD">https://t.co/fVRjzIsPLD</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1892044035600101793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
Back in October, Trump signaled that he was open to religious exemptions for a potential mandate that would require insurance companies to cover the costs of IVF treatments.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Donald Trump says he&#8217;s open religious exemptions to his proposed IVF mandate: “It sounds, to me, like a pretty good idea, frankly&#8230;certainly if there’s a religious problem I think people should go with that..we’ll look at that.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/PrxEtTEeOp">pic.twitter.com/PrxEtTEeOp</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1847295911828873340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-signs-executive-order-expanding-access-to-in-vitro-fertilization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump Signs Executive Order On ‘Expanding Access To In Vitro Fertilization’</a>

In vitro fertilisation, illustration

Pro-Life Groups, Advocates Issue Warnings Over Trump Order On IVF

Social Issues

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago that is focused on expanding access to IVF (in vitro fertilization).
Trump&#8217;s executive order calls for policy recommendations to make it easier for families to access IVF and to &#8220;aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday. According to the <a href="https://www.asrm.org/globalassets/_asrm/advocacy-and-policy/cpl/pdfs/tricare-white-paper-final.pdf">American Society for Reproductive Medicine</a>, one cycle of IVF in the United States costs around $15,000.
&#8220;Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall submit to the President a list of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment,&#8221; the order states.
The order also emphasizes the need of addressing policies that increase the costs of IVF treatments, and it stresses the importance of family formation and public policy that makes it easier for mothers and fathers to have children.
&#8220;Today, many hopeful couples dream of starting a family, but as many as one in seven are unable to conceive a child,&#8221; reads the order. &#8220;Despite their hopes and efforts, infertility struggles can make conception difficult, turning what should be a joyful experience into an emotional and financial struggle.  My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.&#8221;
&#8220;In vitro fertilization (IVF) offers hope to men and women experiencing fertility challenges,&#8221; it continues. &#8220;Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000.  Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help these families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence.&#8221;
&#8220;PROMISES MADE. PROMISES KEPT,&#8221; tweeted Leavitt, referencing Trump&#8217;s campaign vow to do his best to make the fertility treatments more widely available to women.
IVF became heavily part of the national conversation when, last February, an Alabama court ruled on a case dealing with the topic. Media outlets launched a frenzied news cycle by inaccurately suggested that the Alabama Supreme Court banned IVF, though in reality, Justice Jay Mitchell ruled in favor of <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/02/20/alabama-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-embryonic-human-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">protecting embryonic human life,</a> writing in his opinion that “unborn children are ‘children’” under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.
Trump <a href="https://x.com/TPostMillennial/status/1846590324547727603">described</a> himself as the “father of IVF” during a Fox News town hall with women on the campaign trail, calling the Republican Party “the party for I.V.F.” His campaign has approached the controversial IVF issue from the stance that the Republican Party supports women, supports fertility, and supports more babies.
“We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-wants-make-ivf-treatments-paid-government-insurance-compani-rcna168804?_branch_match_id=1320796456473746758&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=NBC%20News&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz0tKzkstL9ZLLCjQy8nMy9bPDfSPyM6vDC%2F2TQIAkqkhGSQAAAA%3D">told NBC News in August</a>, adding: “We’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.”
“Because we want more babies, to put it very nicely,&#8221; he explained on another occasion. &#8220;And for this same reason, we will also allow new parents to deduct major newborn expenses from their taxes, so that parents that have a beautiful baby will be able, so we’re pro family. But the IVF treatments are expensive. It’s very hard for many people to do it and to get it, but I’ve been in favor of IVF, right from the beginning.”
<div id="attachment_878919" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-signs-executive-order-expanding-access-to-in-vitro-fertilization/us-politics-trump-145" rel="attachment wp-att-878919"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-878919" class="wp-image-878919 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2199781740-1-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2199781740-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2199781740-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2199781740-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2199781740-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>US President Donald Trump speaks during signing of executive orders at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 18, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
At a rally in Michigan in August, Trump <a href="https://x.com/theblaze/status/1829267906875764871">promised</a> that under a future Trump administration, “your government will pay for or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment.”
The former president added: “We want more babies!”
It&#8217;s a topic that some on the Right have serious moral and ethical qualms with, given the expendable way in which human embryos are often treated. Experts like The Heritage Foundation&#8217;s Emma Waters <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/alabama-embryo-ruling-brings-much-needed-regulation-fertility-industry-opinion-1872867" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have argued</a> that the Alabama ruling brings “much-needed regulation” to the fertility industry in the United States, arguing in favor of conscience protections and reporting requirements for the process, such as how many embryos are created.
Asked by The Daily Wire about concerns regarding conscience protections for religious Americans who object to IVF, as well as concerns about the discarding of embryos, a White House official pointed out that the executive order calls for policy recommendations. Part of that process will include getting input from the Hill and other stakeholders, including pro-life groups, the official said.
In October, Trump said that he was open to religious exemptions to his proposed in vitro fertilization (IVF) mandate that would require insurance companies to cover the costs of IVF treatments, telling EWTN&#8217;s Raymond Arroyo: “It sounds, to me, like a pretty good idea, frankly.”
Arroyo had pointed out to Trump that many Catholics and Christians object to the fertility treatments on moral grounds. The Catholic Church is opposed to IVF and <a href="https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/573/#zoom=z">says</a> that it is “morally unacceptable.&#8221;
“As you know,” Arroyo pointed out, “some Catholics feel, and the Church believes, that when you implement this technology, you’re killing embryos. Will you have a religious exemption to your IVF mandate for religious organizations and businesses that feel, ‘This violates my religious principles?'&#8221;
“I haven’t been asked that, but it sounds like a pretty good idea, frankly,” Trump responded at the time, adding: “Even Catholics, a lot of them, they want IVF. It’s fertilization, basically, they view that as helping the family, helping parents have a child, and it’s a very popular thing, but certainly if there is a religious problem, I think people should go with that. I really think they should be able to do that. But we’ll look into that.”

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Donald Trump Signs Executive Order On ‘Expanding Access To In Vitro Fertilization’

A federal mandate around in vitro fertilization (IVF) would be dangerous, cautioned Catholic Bishop Michael Burbidge in a new <a href="https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/2025/01/22/the-christian-family-in-vitro-fertilization-and-heroic-witness-to-true-love/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> released Wednesday.
Burbidge, who oversees Virginia&#8217;s Arlington diocese just across the river from Washington, D.C., did not mention President Donald Trump by name, but he warned against Trump&#8217;s recent support for the assisted reproductive technology.
IVF is a procedure <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/in-vitro-fertilization/about/pac-20384716" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used</a> by couples with infertility where embryos are created in a medical lab setting, and then an attempt is made to manually implant the embryo into a woman&#8217;s uterus to kickstart a pregnancy.
The Catholic Church <a href="https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/reproductive-technology/begotten-not-made-a-catholic-view-of-reproductive-technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opposes</a> IVF because of the ethical concerns around the many additional embryos who are created but do not survive the process or are frozen indefinitely and also because IVF separates the procreative act from conception.
&#8220;In recent months, some in the public square have advocated a greater role of government in providing IVF as an entitlement, either by means of direct funding or by compelling health insurance companies to do so,&#8221; Burbidge wrote in his letter.
&#8220;In a misguided attempt to respond to challenges surrounding marriage, family formation, falling birth rates, and fertility, elected officials are rushing to support an IVF industry that kills or freezes hundreds of thousands of embryonic children every year and facilitates the exploitative practice of surrogacy,&#8221; the bishop said. &#8220;Some even claim that mandating or promoting IVF is pro-life because the process may produce children, but this ignores the moral injustices at the core of the IVF process and the fatal consequences for so many of the embryonic children brought about through that process.&#8221;
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During his campaign, President Donald Trump embraced IVF, clashing with Republican judges on Alabama&#8217;s state Supreme Court, who <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-alabama-governor-signs-ivf-protections-into-law-2024-03-07/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> early last year that embryos created via IVF were to be considered people. The ruling left the state&#8217;s fertility clinics and IVF patients scrambling as it meant a person could potentially be sued for destroying embryos.
Trump referred to himself as the &#8220;father of IVF&#8221; after announcing his administration would preserve access to the fertility procedure and even have it covered by the government or insurance companies.
&#8220;We want more babies,&#8221; Trump said.
Burbidge cautioned that a federal IVF entitlement or mandate would be &#8220;an illegitimate handing over to Caesar the things of God&#8221; and compared it to the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act, warning it would inevitably infringe on health care workers&#8217; conscience rights.
Instead, the bishop said, the federal government can do other things to support Americans having families, including encouraging earlier marriage and helping with pregnancy and fertility expenses.
&#8220;It is simply wrong that federal healthcare policy socializes the cost of sterility while privatizing the basic costs of pregnancy and childbirth or the cost of restorative fertility treatments for conditions like endometriosis,&#8221; Burbidge said.
As far as IVF goes, the bishop urged elected officials to ensure IVF clinics follow &#8220;basic health and safety regulations that would minimize the harms associated with their industry.&#8221;
He also suggested mandating &#8220;straightforward informed consent disclosures for prospective parents that clearly convey the ethical and medical consequences of the IVF process and effective life-affirming alternatives.&#8221;
Burbidge noted that European countries regulate IVF and surrogacy more strictly than the U.S. does.
&#8220;In our time, I have observed with pastoral concern the growing acceptance of IVF as an apparent solution to the heartache of infertility,&#8221; Burbidge wrote.
&#8220;I recognize that what the Church teaches about IVF represents a &#8216;hard saying&#8217; that is convenient for many to ignore,&#8221; Burbidge said, citing John&#8217;s Gospel, &#8220;and that many Catholics and others of goodwill may have never encountered the Church’s teaching on this issue.&#8221;
The bishop acknowledged that fertility and IVF are &#8220;incredibly sensitive&#8221; topics that affect many people and deserve to be treated with &#8220;compassion&#8221; and emphasized that &#8220;every person has immeasurable value regardless of how he or she was conceived.&#8221;

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Federal IVF Mandate Would Be Dangerous, Arlington’s Catholic Bishop Warns

Federal IVF Mandate Would Be Dangerous, Arlington's Catholic Bishop Warns

JD Vance

Virginia

Former President Donald Trump is open to religious exemptions to his proposed in vitro fertilization (IVF) mandate that would require insurance companies to cover the costs of IVF treatments.
“It sounds, to me, like a pretty good idea, frankly,” Trump told EWTN&#8217;s Raymond Arroyo, as they spoke on Thursday evening at the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York City.
Arroyo had pointed out to Trump that many Catholics and Christians object to the fertility treatments on moral grounds. The Catholic Church is opposed to IVF and <a href="https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/573/#zoom=z">says</a> that it is &#8220;morally unacceptable,&#8221; <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19870222_respect-for-human-life_en.html">teaching that</a> “the gift of human life must be actualized in marriage through the specific and exclusive acts of husband and wife, in accordance with the laws inscribed in their persons and in their union.”
&#8220;As you know,&#8221; Arroyo pointed out, &#8220;some Catholics feel, and the Church believes, that when you implement this technology, you&#8217;re killing embryos. Will you have a religious exemption to your IVF mandate for religious organizations and businesses that feel, &#8216;This violates my religious principles?'&#8221;
&#8220;I haven&#8217;t been asked that, but it sounds like a pretty good idea, frankly,&#8221; Trump responded, adding: &#8220;Even Catholics, a lot of them, they want IVF. It&#8217;s fertilization, basically, they view that as helping the family, helping parents have a child, and it&#8217;s a very popular thing, but certainly if there is a religious problem, I think people should go with that. I really think they should be able to do that. But we&#8217;ll look into that.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Donald Trump says he&#8217;s open religious exemptions to his proposed IVF mandate: “It sounds, to me, like a pretty good idea, frankly&#8230;certainly if there’s a religious problem I think people should go with that..we’ll look at that.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/PrxEtTEeOp">pic.twitter.com/PrxEtTEeOp</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1847295911828873340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Trump <a href="https://x.com/TPostMillennial/status/1846590324547727603">described</a> himself as the &#8220;father of IVF&#8221; during a Fox News town hall with women this week, calling the Republican Party &#8220;the party for I.V.F.&#8221; Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/us/politics/trump-ivf-abortion.html">told the New York Times</a> that the &#8220;father&#8221; remark was “a joke President Trump made in jest when he was enthusiastically answering a question about I.V.F.”
The Trump campaign has approached the controversial IVF issue from the stance that the Republican party supports women, supports fertility, and supports more babies.
&#8220;We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-wants-make-ivf-treatments-paid-government-insurance-compani-rcna168804?_branch_match_id=1320796456473746758&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=NBC%20News&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz0tKzkstL9ZLLCjQy8nMy9bPDfSPyM6vDC%2F2TQIAkqkhGSQAAAA%3D">told NBC News in August</a>, adding: &#8220;We&#8217;re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.&#8221;
At a rally in Michigan in August, Trump <a href="https://x.com/theblaze/status/1829267906875764871">promised</a> that under a future Trump administration, &#8220;your government will pay for or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment.&#8221;
The former president added: “We want more babies!”

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Trump: Religious Exemption to IVF Mandate Is ‘A Pretty Good Idea’

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