Texas Governor Echoes Trump’s Stance on Recent IVF Court Ruling in Alabama

Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled embryos are covered under wrongful death laws, but former President Trump and now Gov. Abbott have voiced their concerns.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference in Austin, Texas, on March 15, 2023. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has voiced a similar stance to former President Donald Trump in the wake of a ruling on embryos from the Alabama Supreme Court.

Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 16, in response to a lawsuit where plaintiffs claimed damages for embryos destroyed at a cryogenic facility, that human embryos kept outside the uterus are children according to state regulations. The ruling means embryos are covered under wrongful death laws, and clinics that discard embryos could be held liable for wrongful death.

In a Feb. 23 Truth Social Post, President Trump voiced opposition to the decision and urged Alabama’s state legislature to protect In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments for couples “who are trying to have a precious baby.”

In a Feb. 25 interview on CNN “State of the Union,” Gov. Abbott said he has “no doubt” Texas will be among the states that will address the ruling because “we want to make it easier for people to be able to have babies—not make it harder.”

“There’s some uncertainty lingering from this, but candidly, let’s go to President Trump, because President Trump put out a statement on this that I think a lot of people agree with and that is a goal that we all kind of want to achieve,” Gov. Abbott said.

“And the IVF process is a way of giving life to even more babies. And so what I think the goal is, is to make sure that we can find a pathway to ensure that parents who otherwise may not have the opportunity to have a child will be able to have access to the IVF process and become parents and give life to babies.”

Meanwhile, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is challenging President Trump for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, has come out in support of the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling, telling NBC News on Feb. 21, “Embryos to me are babies.”

But she added that conversations about IVF are “incredibly personal” and “incredibly sensitive,” calling for a sensitive approach to debating the IVF issue.

Ruling Could Make IVF Harder for Couples

Critics of the Alabama ruling have said it could make access to IVF treatments much more complicated for couples seeking to have a child using the procedure. The decision has also raised concerns about the legal liabilities clinics and fertility specialists could face, potentially driving up the costs of IVF services and making them less accessible.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, the Alabama Attorney General’s office made it clear there are no plans to enforce the ruling.

“Attorney General Marshall has no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers,” Chief Counsel Katherine Robertson said.

Some lawmakers have expressed concern that while Attorney General Marshall won’t enforce the ruling, other law enforcement officials could, prompting a push for individual states to address the issue at a crucial period in the general election cycle, ahead of Super Tuesday.

Gov. Abbott said Texas would likely address the ruling at some point, once there had been an investigation into all the possible ramifications.

“I have no doubt that Texas will be among the states that will be addressing this issue when we can bring together all the different facts or scenarios about what can happen, but also, Texas is a pro-life state, and we want to do everything possible that we can to maintain Texas being a pro-life state,” he said.

“At the very same time, I think Texans agree with what President Trump said, and that is we as a state want to ensure that we promote life, we bring more life into the world and we empower parents to be able to have more children.”

Chase Smith and Jackson Richman contributed to this report.