December 2022 ➡️ Now
Republicans are still blocking us from protecting access to IVF.
Can't trust a word they say. pic.twitter.com/bZjczTn6OO
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) February 29, 2024
News –> Dems are planning a big push to hang the Alabama ruling around the necks of Republicans *in state legislative races.* Dems plan to highlight fetal personhood bills on the state level, an overlooked vulnerability on IVF for the GOP. 1/
— Greg Sargent (@GregTSargent) February 28, 2024
Greg Sargent, at the New Republic — “Trump’s Panicky Eruption Over Embryo Ruling Won’t Fix GOP’s IVF Mess”:
When Donald Trump attacked the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos should be considered children, it was widely seen as a glaring indicator of a new political reality. Trump and Republicans, analysts noted, recognize the dangers of appearing aligned against in vitro fertilization and are bolting from the decision as fast as possible.
But for a largely overlooked reason, this political morass will be harder for Republicans to extricate themselves from than they might think. This issue will continue playing out not just on the federal level but also at the level of the states, where the true implications of GOP positions on reproductive rights will be harder to evade.
Democrats are planning to make a big issue out of IVF in this year’s battle for control of state legislatures, strategists tell me. This will entail highlighting state-level bills and laws that define fetuses as people and could impact access to IVF, especially now that anti-choice activists are emboldened by the Alabama ruling…
This week, Democrats are announcing a new round of spending by the DLCC on 2024 state legislative contests, bringing the total spent to $750,000 this cycle. The group will channel resources into the battle to flip control of the legislatures in Arizona and Wisconsin (where the party just secured fair district maps) and the state House in New Hampshire, suggesting Democrats see opportunities to gain ground in those states. In a surprise, the DLCC also expects to announce investments soon in breaking the GOP supermajority in Kansas, where the governor is a Democrat.
Meanwhile, Democrats plan to highlight the GOP push for so-called “fetal personhood bills,” which seek to enshrine full rights for fetuses on the grounds that life begins at fertilization. According to the Guttmacher Institute, proposals have been introduced in at least a dozen states, reflecting the rush of anti-abortion legislation unleashed by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022 striking down abortion rights…
More generally, the ruling is a vivid reminder that the future of reproductive rights will likely live or die in the states—and that this could intrude to an untold degree on intensely personal decisions about whether to have children despite infertility. As Williams of the DLCC points out, the Alabama outcome again demonstrates that the “Republican crusade against women” isn’t “just about abortion.”
“It is about control and power,” Williams said.
Late Night Open Thread: The GOP Hates Women & FamiliesPost + Comments (39)