Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined former President Donald Trump in his stance on the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling that frozen embryos created through IVF are children, making it a violation to destroy an embryo.
Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” if he, like Trump, agrees that embryos are human beings, Abbott replied, “Well, listen, obviously, there’s some uncertainty lingering from this, but, candidly, let’s go back to President Trump, because President Trump put out a statement on this that I think a lot of people agree with.”
He went further to explain, “And that is a goal that we all kind of want to achieve. And that is, we want to make it easier for people to be able to have babies, not make it harder. And the IVF process is a way of giving life to even more babies. And so what I think the goal is, is to make sure that we can find a pathway to ensure that parents who otherwise may not have the opportunity to have a child will be able to have access to the IVF process and become parents and give life to babies.”
“And because this is a relatively new issue, we’re just going to have to find ways to navigate laws and fact situations that are very complicated,” he added.
When anchor Dana Bash asked the governor if the Texas legislature would be introducing laws to make IVF legal even with such ruling, he expressed confidence that “ Texas will be among the states that will be addressing this issue when we can bring together all the different fact scenarios about what could happen.”
“Listen, as you know, Texas is a pro-life state. And we want to do everything possible that we can to maintain Texas being a pro-life state. But, at the very same time, I think Texans agree with what President Trump said. And that is, we as a state want to ensure that we promote life, we bring more life into the world, and we empower parents to be able to have more children,” he added.
“No one really knows what the potential answers are.”
.@GregAbbott_TX reacts to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos are human beings in an interview with @DanaBashCNN. pic.twitter.com/nmI4McL8mO
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) February 25, 2024
The Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling was met with opposition amid concerns that it will affect people’s attempt to have children through IVF as the decision was followed by clinics pausing their IVF treatments.
Amid the voices is Trump’s, as he has brought up the implications the law would have of couples trying to start a family and called for quick action by the Alabama legislature so that the availability of IVF can be preserved.
In a post to Truth Social, he wrote, “Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families. We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!”
The post further read, “Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby. Today, I am calling on the Alabama Legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama. The Republican Party should always be on the side of the Miracle of Life – and the side of Mothers, Fathers, and their Beautiful Babies. IVF is an important part of that, and our Great Republican Party will always be with you, in your quest, for the ULTIMATE JOY IN LIFE!”
