Crypto News: Trump's IVF pitch

Hi, it's Riley in Washington and Rthvika in New York. As the US election nears, former President Donald Trump has pitched himself as a champion of reproductive rights. More on that in a moment, but first...

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As Election Day nears, Donald Trump is seeking to counter opponents' attacks and appeal to as many female voters as possible in a deadlocked race. In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a potent entry point.

The complex technology that helps women conceive and creates families despite medical or other challenges is popular throughout the US. That became clear after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February led IVF clinics to temporarily shutter to avoid legal prosecution. Supporting the ruling was seen as politically untenable — and after Nikki Haley stumbled, Trump quickly threw his support behind IVF.

A poll from UMass Amherst and the League of Women Voters shows 50% of Americans strongly oppose banning IVF. Few are strongly in support, including just 4% of Republican respondents.

That's one reason Trump is calling himself a "protector" of women and the "father of IVF." He's now promising, should he win the election, that his administration "will be great for women and their reproductive rights." And though Trump's vice presidential pick JD Vance voted against legislation to establish a nationwide right to IVF and lower its costs, the campaign has pushed a different message, saying it will require the federal government or insurance companies to cover the expenses that can be tens of thousands of dollars. (The Trump campaign hasn't provided detail as to how.)

"Trump understands that he is not polling well with women and has latched onto IVF," as a way to counteract that sentiment, says Nancy Hirschmann, professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.

For some citizens, it's a cornerstone issue. According to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll conducted in mid-October, 22% of swing-state voters say it will play a very important role when they decide who to vote for in the election that's less than two weeks away.

Trump's comments on IVF, and the softer approach he's taking to abortion recently, contrast with earlier calls for punishing women who had abortions and taking credit for the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. That action, embraced by the anti-abortion movement, triggered a political backlash and led to constitutional amendments in some states to protect reproductive rights.

"Trump is using his support for IVF to try to signal to the public that his position on reproductive rights is more moderate than that of the GOP," says Jesse Rhodes, a professor of political science at UMass Amherst.

While abortion has emerged as Kamala Harris' strongest issue against Trump, with 56% of voters trusting the vice president on the topic in the Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll, IVF sentiment is closer. Just under half of respondents trust Harris, compared to three-in-10 who trust Trump.

As both candidates try to sway undecided voters, Trump is looking for inroads, particularly with suburban women. He recently suggested that some abortion laws are "too tough" and might be rolled back, without giving specifics. And after long refusing to address questions about how he'd handle a federal abortion ban, Trump clarified he'd veto one.

Many are skeptical, particularly after Trump suggested he supported a Florida ballot measure that would undo a controversial 6-week abortion ban. He reversed course a day later in the face of backlash from anti-abortion groups.

With the approach of Nov. 5, it's hard to tell whether Trump is making gains. But one thing is for certain: Harris doesn't want voters to buy it.

"He has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to the health care of women in America," Harris said at a rally in Wisconsin earlier in October.

The Biden administration is continuing to beat the drum about access to reproductive care. It's announced a new proposal to require private health insurers to cover over-the-counter birth control at no additional cost for consumers. In a memo outlining the proposal in more political terms, Jennifer Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, took aim at Harris' opponent.

"No attempt to 'rebrand' can change the fact that Republican-elected officials have spent decades undermining reproductive freedom," she says.

We'll soon learn if voters feel the same. – Riley Griffin and Rthvika Suvarna

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