Former President Donald Trump focused his comments about reproductive health on in vitro fertilization instead of on abortion at a town hall with an all-women audience in Georgia that aired on Wednesday, at one point calling himself “the father of IVF.”
The town hall was in rural Georgia, a state where at least two women have reportedly died preventable deaths from not being able to access care under the state’s abortion restrictions. The event, hosted by Fox News’ Harris Faulkner, is one of Trump’s latest attempts to reach out to women voters, a critical bloc of voters and a group he has struggled with, at a time when abortion is a top issue. Trump instead pivoted to IVF, which has been a favorite talking point among Republicans.
“We really are the party for IVF. We want fertilization, but it’s all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and we’re out there on IVF, even more than them, so totally in favor of it,” Trump said.
Republicans in the Senate have blocked efforts by Democrats to pass IVF protections through Congress.
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Trump pointed to Sen. Katie Britt as a lawmaker he has had conversations with about IVF. He referred to her as a “fantastically attractive” senator who he asked to explain the concept of IVF “quickly,” and he said he understood it within minutes.
In a statement to NOTUS, Britt called Trump “a strong and unwavering champion for IVF” and said she was “honored to stand with him” on the issue.
Trump nominated three justices to the Supreme Court as president, creating a conservative majority that made overturning Roe v. Wade possible. This campaign cycle, he has tried to soften his tone on abortion and reproductive health as Democrats have been able to capitalize on them on the campaign trail in recent years.
In response to a direct question from an audience member about why the government needs to be involved in women’s reproductive health, Trump said abortion is a state’s issue, which has been his position for months and has put him at odds with much of the anti-abortion community.
“Nobody wanted it to be in the federal government … they wanted it back in the states for the votes of the people,” Trump said.
Trump also made vague promises that states that are “too tough” with abortion regulations will be forced to reassess.
“It’s going to be redone. They’re going to, you end up with a vote of the people. Some of the states, they’re too tough,” Trump said. “Those are going to be redone because already there’s a movement in those states, I know exactly, to redo it.”
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign held a press conference on Tuesday with the family of Amber Thurman, one of the Georgia women who ProPublica reported died. Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said at the press conference that Trump has failed to be consistent on this issue.
“Trump is who ... created this problem, [and] is now trying to present himself as the great protector of women,” Warnock said. “Women need to be protected from Donald Trump.”
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Amelia Benavides-Colón is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow. Torrence Banks and Oriana González contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional reporting.
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