“Speaker Mike Johnson late Friday night added his voice to the chorus of Republicans claiming they support in vitro fertilization treatments, after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children — despite previously supporting legislation that could put those treatments at risk,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Johnson, an evangelical Christian from Louisiana who has put his faith at the forefront of his politics throughout his career, is also a co-sponsor of the Life at Conception Act. That bill seeks to recognize a fertilized egg as a person with equal protections under the 14th Amendment, which amounts to a nationwide abortion ban. The bill states that the term ‘human being’ includes ‘all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization,’ and does not include any exceptions for I.V.F. and fertility treatments.”
“Mr. Johnson’s statement underscored the alarm over the Alabama ruling among Republicans who have struggled since the overturning of Roe v. Wade to appease anti-abortion activists while at the same time trying not to appear too extreme to the more moderate, swing voters they also need to win over.”
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