Several months ago, a court in Alabama made a ruling that put artificial insemination at the center of the political debate in the United States. Now Trump is making an unusual promise.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is trying to appeal to women and families in particular with a surprising campaign promise. During a speech in Potterville, Michigan, he announced that the US government would pay for artificial insemination, also known as in vitro fertilization (IVF), if he wins the presidential election on November 5. Alternatively, insurance companies should be forced to pay for the treatment – an unusual position for Republicans.
“We want more babies, to put it nicely. And for the same reason, we will allow new parents to deduct major expenses for newborns from their taxes,” said the 78-year-old. Artificial insemination is expensive, which is why the treatment is unaffordable for many, said Trump. No one has ever said that, he added. “We will pay for it, and that will help families,” said Trump, who then expanded on his announcement in an interview with NBC.
Election campaign issue after momentous ruling
The issue of artificial insemination is playing a role in the US election campaign. At the beginning of the year, the Supreme Court of the US state of Alabama ruled that frozen embryos are considered children. Several clinics in the southern state subsequently suspended their corresponding treatments because there were too many legal questions open and there was a threat of lawsuits for damages. The ruling corresponds to the theory advocated by anti-abortion activists that embryos and fetuses should be considered children and enjoy legal protection.
The issue quickly gained national attention in the USA, and many Republicans found it difficult to take a clear position. The Alabama parliament finally secured access to IVF. After the decision, Trump made it clear that he supported artificial insemination – as did the majority of people in the USA. Democrats warned that women’s rights in the USA were still in great danger and pointed to the end of abortion rights.
The US Supreme Court overturned this right a good two years ago. Trump had shifted the majority on the court far to the right with several replacements, thus making the decision possible.