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All hands on deck! Republicans scramble to distance themselves from Alabama Supreme Court I.V. F. decision.

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Fetal Attraction by Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune, UT

It’s all hands on deck! Republicans are scrambling to distance themselves from an Alabama State Supreme Court decision ruled that frozen embryos are children under state law. Democrats, from President Joe Biden on down, are now beginning to pounce.

Democrats note that the door was open to this due to conservative Supreme Court judges, including three appointed by President Donald Trump, striking down Roe v Wade.

It’s the age-old question: if a dog chases a car, what does it do if it catches the car? In the GOP’s case, it suffers defeats at the polls. But now in addition to that, Republicans are trying to delink themselves from being associated with a court ruling that nixes the highly popular I.F.V.

The Senate GOP’s campaign arm on Friday urged its candidates to publicly express their support for IVF treatment and condemn efforts to limit its accessibility.

In a memo sent by National Republican Senatorial Committee Executive Director Jason Thielman, the party’s campaign apparatus instructs candidates to “Clearly state your support for IVF and fertility-related services as blessings for those seeking to have children” and to “Publicly oppose any efforts to restrict access to IVF and other fertility treatments, framing such opposition as a defense of family values and individual freedom.”

The directive comes days after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children under state law, putting patients and physicians conducting IVF treatment at risk of criminal prosecution. Three medical centers in Alabama have paused IVF treatments so far since the decision.

“When responding to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, it is imperative that our candidates align with the public’s overwhelming support for IVF and fertility treatments,” the NRSC memo states. “By advocating for increased access to these services, opposing restrictions, and emphasizing the importance of supporting families in their journey to conceive, our candidates can demonstrate compassion, respect for family values, and a commitment to individual freedom.”

Axios:

Why it matters: Republicans in both chambers are scrambling to distance from the ruling and the restrictive impact it’s already having on IVF clinics.

As Republicans face blowback, former President Trump, the GOP presidential frontrunner, on Friday came out in support of IVF and urged Alabama lawmakers to protect the treatment.

Trump’s call came a day after President Biden’s re-election campaign blamed him for the ruling, noting his appointment of conservative justices to the Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

Alabama’s Attorney General’s office says it doesn’t “intend” to go after I.V.F users or provders. But will all this make a dent with voter, many of them women voters, furious over Republicans’ role in eventually deep-sixing Roe V. Wade?

It may not be so easy. For one thing, Business Insider reports that 125 House Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, back a ‘life at conception’ bill that doesn’t give an I.V.F. exception.