“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,” he said at an event in Michigan. “Because we want more babies, to put it nicely."
IVF treatments are notoriously expensive, and can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a single round. Many women require multiple rounds and there is no guarantee of success.
The announcement comes as Trump has been under intense criticism from Democrats for his role in appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision has led to a wave of restrictions across Republican-led states, including proposals that have threatened access to IVF by trying to define life as beginning at conception. IVF relies on the creation of multiple embryos, some of which may be destroyed.
Abortion is expected to be a major motivator for Democrats and women this November, and was a dominant theme of the party's national convention last week, including Vice President Kamala Harris' speech as she accepted her party's nomination.
In response, Trump has been trying to present himself as more moderate on the issue, going as far as to declare himself “very strong on women’s reproductive rights.”
In an interview with NBC ahead of the event, Trump also suggested that he would vote in favor of repealing Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which limits the procedure before many women even know they are pregnant.
Trump, in the interview, did not explicitly say how he plans to vote on the ballot measure this fall. But he repeated his past criticism that the measure, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, is too restrictive.
“I think the six weeks is too short. It has to be more time," he said. ”I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.”
Trump had previously called DeSantis’ decision to sign the bill a “terrible mistake.”
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement after the rally Thursday that Trump “has not yet said how he will vote on the ballot initiative in Florida” known as Amendment 4 and that he “simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short.”
His comments nonetheless drew immediate reaction from those who oppose abortion rights, including Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, who said she had spoken with Trump after his speech.
“He has not committed to how he will vote on Amendment 4. President Trump has consistently opposed abortions after five months of pregnancy. Amendment 4 would allow abortion past this point. Voting for Amendment 4 completely undermines his position,” she said, adding that, “anyone who believes in drawing a different line” still “must vote against Amendment 4, unless they don’t want a line at all.”
In his speech, Trump also said that, if he wins, families will be able to deduct expenses for caring for newborns from their taxes.
“We’re pro-family,” he said.
