Jun
14
Trump Admin Works to Correct IVF Policy Error
“It’s not merely about safeguarding life in the womb; we must consider the treatment of early-stage life as well.” — Allie Beth Stuckey, Blaze TV host and Christian apologist
Donald Trump has been promoting in vitro fertilization (IVF) since his last campaign, and last year he began implementing what he thought was very pro-life policy re IVF. He was pretty proud of it, but many pro-life Americans (like myself) were very disappointed in what the President actually wanted to do. Ryan T. Anderson, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, described Trump’s IVF policy as “perhaps the least bad that we could have hoped for…. But least bad is still bad…. Embryonic human beings deserve the law’s protection.”
But, you say, didn’t the President unveil plans to “dramatically reduce the cost of IVF, provide insurance coverage for fertility treatments including IVF, and increase access to IVF”? Yes. However, like most Americans, President Trump is sadly confused about the common practice and ethical ramifications of in vitro fertilization. As the Colson Center’s John Stonestreet points out,
“IVF is not pro-life. In fact, it is not even pro-fertility. While born children do result from IVF, the way it is most often practiced results in far more lives being lost than those that survive. As Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins posted on X in response to the announcement: ‘The IVF industry kills more preborn babies than the abortion industry, doesn’t cure infertility, and practices eugenics.'”
So, it is good to have something actually positive and truly pro-life to report on this front. This was announced just the other day…
“The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs issued a notice of funding opportunity [NOFO] on Wednesday seeking grant recipients who will prioritize the best interests of unborn human children in the embryo adoption process….
While previous administrations have prioritized the desires of adults in the [Embryo Adoption and Awareness Services] program, the Trump-era HHS has shifted the grant opportunity toward a child-centric framework, urging recipients to consider what is in the best interest of the child, a senior HHS official told the Daily Signal.
Embryo adoption should ‘serve the needs of a child already in existence, offering that child the opportunity for life within a stable and loving family,’ the funding notice says….
The revised notice says that grant funds cannot be used for the ‘donation of human embryos to embryo-destructive research,’ and that ‘no grant funds will be used to pay for, subsidize, promote, or otherwise support discarding or destroying human embryos.’ HHS also prohibits grantees from using the funds to create ‘new human embryos.'”
There is more to the NOFO, of course, but you get the idea. There is much more to be done re IVF, as well, and we pray that the Trump admin does an about-face on the whole issue. But, for now these are huge steps in the right direction, and the Pro-Life Movement can chalk this up as a WIN for the unborn.
