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Republican Memo Urges Senate Candidates to Defend IVF

The memo warned that the ruling served as “fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain."

The National Republican Senatorial Committee wrote a memo urging its candidates to express their support for IVF on Friday, in the wake of Alabama’s recent ruling which has made the procedure far more legally precarious for both medical professionals and patients. “When responding to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, it is imperative that our candidates align with the public’s overwhelming support for IVF and fertility treatments,” NRSC Executive Director Jason Thielman wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The Washington Post. The memo asked candidates to publicly oppose any measures that would restrict IVF, and gave them talking points for their support. “Clearly state your support for IVF and fertility-related services as blessings for those seeking to have children,” the memo said. “Highlight the importance of these treatments in fulfilling the dreams of countless families to conceive.” Last week’s Alabama Supreme Court ruling, which states that frozen embryos are children, and therefore, destroying them amounts to wrongful death of a minor, has already led to multiple clinics across the state putting a pause on IVF procedures. On Friday, the National Infertility Association said that it would stop shipping frozen embryos to the state. Thielman, who runs the committee responsible for getting Republicans elected to the Senate, warned that the ruling served as “fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain.”