Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who is running for Senate, stated on Friday that he plans to propose legislation to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), a day after he avoided addressing questions about it.
“IVF access is crucial for many families and needs to be safeguarded. I intend to propose a law in the Senate to achieve this,” Hogan expressed in a message on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
During an Axios event the previous day, the former governor was questioned about whether he would support IVF protection. Hogan mentioned that he backed IVF but did not want to speculate about potential legislation.
However, both the House and Senate have legislation in place to do just that.
A bill from Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) that establishes federal protections for IVF and other assisted reproductive technology has 46 other co-sponsors.
Duckworth recently tried to fast-track passage of the bill by unanimous consent, but was blocked when Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) objected. Unanimous consent means any one senator could object and scuttle the effort.
A companion House bill from Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) has 135 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats.
IVF has been catapulted into the national spotlight after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, and those who destroy them can be held liable under a state wrongful death law.
Like many Republicans across the country, Hogan has said he supports IVF and has tried to distance himself from the ruling and its fallout. Most Republicans in Congress argue IVF protections should happen at the state level.
Hogan mentioned on Thursday that IVF “is a wonderful thing and should never be limited.”
But Democrats have blamed the entire Republican Party for the Alabama ruling and are eager to use it as a campaign issue.
