House GOP split on how to address IVF messaging as some push Speaker Johnson to hold a vote before the election
CNN
Multiple House Republicans have been working behind the scenes to convince Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on legislation supporting in vitro fertilization before the November elections but told CNN their efforts have so far been brushed off or even denied.
Multiple House Republicans have been working behind the scenes to convince Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on legislation supporting in vitro fertilization before the November elections but told CNN their efforts have so far been brushed off or even denied. The direct pressure campaign from lawmakers across the GOP conference has ramped up in recent weeks as those Republicans running in competitive races want to showcase their support of IVF, which Democrats have called into question after the Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that frozen embryos are human beings and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death. The resistance from Johnson to take up legislation on the issue up until this point, according to conversations with some of the lawmakers involved, stems from concerns that Republicans could fail to pass it in their narrowly held Republican majority, and the fear of putting members in a worse spot politically. There is also an acknowledgement that Johnson is trying to balance the needs of his vulnerable members who support the fertility treatments with small-government deficit hawks who resist mandates and conservatives who are against IVF for religious reasons. One GOP lawmaker characterized Johnson as “placating” the situation by being intentionally vague about whether he would commit to bringing up IVF legislation. “You’re dealing with some people who have older views and tougher districts, and you know, they’re not going to move,” the lawmaker said of Johnson and his House GOP leadership team. Another GOP lawmaker said Johnson simply said no when asked for legislation supporting IVF to be brought up, telling CNN, “He’s been more direct with me.”
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