Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization, but it was not clear what concrete steps may be taken to make that a reality.
"The Order directs policy recommendations to protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted on X.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf, who appeared alongside Trump at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday afternoon, outlined the executive orders signed there by the president. The IVF order relates to “the affordability and availability of in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments,” said Scharf.
These are “treatments that have become unaffordable for many Americans,” he added. “The executive order is a directive to the Domestic Policy Council to examine ways to make IVF and other fertility treatments more affordable for more Americans.”
Trump followed Scharf, saying: “I've been saying that we're going to do what we have to do, and I think the women and families – husbands – are very appreciative of it.”
But the order states that it “shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.”
Medical coverage for IVF and fertility treatments are typically determined by private health insurance for those who can afford it. Subsidized aid for those without insurance, or with lower-coverage insurance, apparently would depend on “available” government appropriations,” the order indicated, but did not detail the source of the approriations.
The order also states that it’s “not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.”
During the campaign, Trump bizarrely called himself the “father of IVF,” while he and the Republican party struggled to figure out how to address the issue, as well abortion and women’s rights.
A fact sheet obtained by NOTUS states that the order simply “directs” recommendations to protect access to IVF, while the White House would “aggressively” decrease costs for those seeking IVF treatment, though the order does not explain how.
The costs for fertility treatments differ, but one cycle of IVF costs an average of $15,000, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Some couples need several cycles, and there is never any guarantee the procedure will work.
“The recommendations will focus on how to ensure reliable access to IVF,” the fact sheet states. “Priority will also be placed on addressing any current policies, including those that require legislation, that exacerbate the cost of IVF treatments.”
The White House was previously looking at how to enact Trump’s campaign promise by either arranging for the federal government to cover the cost of IVF treatments, or require insurance companies to pay for them. This order does neither. But a White House official said it was the “first step” in actions that the Trump administration may enact in the future.
Trump said in August that the government would either pay for the treatment or push insurers to cover it.
"We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment," Trump vowed to NBC News at the time, just months before tech billionaire Elon Musk began to slash jobs at federal agencies to save money. Then Trump said: "We're going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.”
"Our nation's public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children," the White House stated in a fact sheet quoted by Axios.
The order did point out the difficulties some families face in getting pregnant, with the fact sheet stating that it “recognizes the importance of family formation, and that our Nation’s public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 85,000 children were born with the help of IVF in 2021.
The White House said about a quarter of employers cover the cost of IVF for their workers.
The treatment entered the political debate about a year ago when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created via IVF were children according to state law, prompting a pause on procedures until Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law preserving the availability of the practice.
IVF has often divided Republicans, with many unable to accept that surplus embryos are often thrown away, as they believe that life begins at conception. Twice last year, Republicans in the Senate blocked attempts to enshrine federal protections for IVF.
Several pro-life conservatives took to X to share their outrage at Trump’s new order, with Eric Sammons writing: “This is horrific and cannot be defended by any Catholic, or any pro-lifer. IVF causes the death of countless unborn children. Trump has done much good for the pro-life movement, but this single act wipes most of that away.”
“This is an absolutely terrible idea,” Ben Zeisloft added. “For every baby born as a result of IVF, there are several others indefinitely frozen, selectively aborted, or simply tossed in the trash.”
May “God bless the entire Trump administration with swift repentance from this wickedness,” he added. “Now is the time for Christians to make their voices heard and oppose federal efforts to expand IVF, which involves the mass discarding of preborn babies made in the image of God and therefore provokes his righteous wrath.”
The president of the anti-abortion group Live Action, Lila Rose, also criticized the order, writing on X: “Only 7% of human embryos created via IVF will result in a live birth. 93% of these lives are frozen indefinitely, miscarried, or aborted. Over 1,000,000 embryos are frozen in the U.S. IVF is NOT pro-life.”
