(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to make in vitro fertilization more affordable for Americans.
The order points out that IVF can cost $12,000 to $25,000 per cycle and aims to cut costs “by easing unnecessary statutory or regulatory burdens to make IVF treatment drastically more affordable.”
The order directs the assistant to the President for Domestic Policy to submit a list of ideas to lower the cost of IVF within 90 days.
“My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children,” the order said.
Trump touted IVF on the campaign trail after salvaging a potentially disastrous political moment for Republicans last year.
The Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February 2024 that fertilized eggs have the same right as children, raising major concerns about IVF, which handles and stores fertilized eggs for couples seeking to get pregnant.
Sometimes those eggs are damaged or destroyed, raising legal questions about the liability for doctors handling the fertilized eggs.
The ruling came in the heat of the election cycle as Republicans fended off attacks from pro-choice activists and Democrats.
IVF physicians immediately said they would no longer operate in Alabama. Trump quickly took control of the issue, and Alabama’s legislature passed a law protecting IVF and those doctors from criminal charges and civil lawsuits.
After that ruling, Trump often spoke on the campaign trail about IVF and being pro-family, all culminating in Tuesday’s executive order.
“Under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” Trump told NBC News in August of last year. “We’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.”
This article was originally published at www.thecentersquare.com
