‘House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that it’s up to states and not Congress to preserve access to in vitro fertilization.’
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more disingenuous bunch than Republicans in Congress. Don’t get me wrong, all politicians, save for the few not taking campaign contributions from corporations, are corrupted by the legalized bribery SCOTUS thrust upon us. The old saying, “Follow the money” will always lead you to the explanation for their behavior. Look at the TikTok ban debate—Rand Paul was arguing against the ban on Fox News (the ultimate “China is after us” fear mongerers). Why? Although the reasons he gave in favor of not banning it were the actual facts, he doesn’t really care about the truth. He cares about the tens of millions of dollars he’s received from a billionaire donor who owns 15% of TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance.
Mike Johnson is fueled by Christian Nationalism and a belief that his religion is the only true religion and that it should determine what legislation is passed. If you don’t share his beliefs, well, you’re just wrong. The separation of church and state is something he doesn’t believe should be a factor in how government is run. In fact, the government doesn’t control the church. The church controls the government! Along with all of our lives, regardless of our own beliefs.
Republicans sure did scramble after that Alabama Supreme Court decision, huh? Between not knowing what to say, and some not even knowing what IVF is, they panicked. People are upset, women in the middle of treatment in Alabama are pissed, and now the Roe v Wade fight just got a huge boost.
Jennifer Shutt reported on the Speaker’s comment for State’s Newsroom:
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that it’s up to states and not Congress to preserve access to in vitro fertilization, weighing in on a growing national debate and campaign issue.
“It’s not my belief that Congress needs to play a role here,” the Louisiana Republican said during a press conference at the House GOP retreat in West Virginia. “I think this is being handled by the states.”
Republicans, he said, support IVF as a way for people to begin or grow their families, as long as it’s handled “ethically.”
“And I think the states are handling that well,” Johnson said.
IVF access blew up into a nationwide problem for Republicans after the Alabama state Supreme Court ruled in February frozen embryos constitute “children” under state law. Democrats have stressed their support for reproductive rights and fertility treatments in contrast to the Alabama ruling.
The decision halted IVF access in the state until the legislature approved and Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation this month to provide IVF clinics with civil and criminal immunity. That new law, however, has left numerous questions for clinics in Alabama.
Democrats attempt to pass legislation
Democrats in the U.S. Senate have tried to pass two bills that would have addressed access to IVF in the weeks since the Alabama state Supreme Court ruling, but Republican senators blocked them each time.
Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth in late February tried to pass her bill to protect IVF access nationwide, but Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked the bill.
Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray sought approval to pass her bill to expand access to IVF for military service members and veterans this week, but Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford opposed her efforts.
Both Democratic senators tried to pass their bill through the unanimous consent process, which allows any senator to block the bill from moving forward. The Senate hasn’t yet held a roll call vote on either bill.
Several House GOP lawmakers have introduced resolutions to express the sense of Congress that IVF is a good thing and that Americans should have access to it, though those are not bills and therefore wouldn’t actually protect access to the procedure.
Johnson, speaking Thursday during the press conference, said he and the Republican Party support IVF and protecting it, just not with nationwide legislation.
“That’s a remarkable thing and it’s something we ought to protect and preserve,” Johnson said. “And I think our party is certainly committed to that.”
This article in this post was originally published on Tennessee Lookout and parts of it are included here under a Creative Commons license CC BY-ND 4.0
