Matt Rosendale faces backlash as he doubles down on his anti-IVF campaign after calling it 'morally wrong'

WASHINGTON, DC: Republican Matt Rosendale has stirred significant controversy by becoming the most vocal opponent of IVF. His outspoken threatens to complicate the GOP’s message on this sensitive issue, especially as reproductive rights remain a challenging topic for the party.

While many Republicans express support for IVF or advocate leaving its regulation to the states, Rosendale has taken a starkly different approach. He has labeled IVF as "morally wrong," proposed anti-IVF amendments, and displayed anti-IVF posters outside his office, as per The Hill.

Matt Rosendale vocally campaigns against IVF as reproductive rights attract nationwide attention

Rosendale's controversial campaign aims to shift the conversation and challenge colleagues who identify as pro-life. "It gets back to the very basic question: Do you believe that life begins at conception, or not?" Rosendale stated in a recent interview conducted by The Hill.

Rosendale's interest in IVF policies intensified after the Alabama Supreme Court's February ruling in a wrongful death lawsuit. IVF patients sued after their frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed, and the court ruled that frozen embryos are legally considered children. This ruling posed a potential threat to IVF practices, which often result in embryos being indefinitely frozen, donated, or discarded.

In response, Alabama GOP lawmakers swiftly passed a law protecting IVF doctors and clinics. Concurrently, Republicans in Washington expressed their support for IVF, with many sponsoring legislation declaring that life begins at conception and seeing IVF as pro-family.

Every Senate Republican signed a pledge supporting nationwide access to IVF, despite blocking a Democratic bill to codify this access. Rosendale, however, reacted differently.

"When that came out, I was like, 'OK, this is going to be a big question that we’re going to have to address,'" Rosendale said. He acknowledged the compassion in helping those with infertility but saw increasing problems the more he delved into the issue.

Rosendale's campaign against IVF goes beyond posters and amendments. He proposed an amendment to prevent defense funds from being used for IVF, although it did not receive a vote. He believes federal policy must address what he sees as critical issues in the IVF space.

"At the very least, we have to have the CDC start collecting information and tell us what the heck’s going on, number one. Number two, no taxpayer dollars should be utilized to support a system that kills children," Rosendale remarked.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already collects data on IVF success rates under the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act of 1992. According to the most recent data, the number of babies born through assisted reproductive methods, mainly IVF, increased significantly. In 2021, there were 97,128 such births, compared to 65,151 in 2012.

Rosendale’s core concern is that the data does not include figures on how many embryos are donated, stored, or discarded. An IVF cycle can result in more embryos than a patient intends to transfer. "There’s like 700,000 children that are either being destroyed, or frozen for some period until somebody stops paying rent. Or worse yet, being experimented on," he claimed.

Matt Rosendale's campaign against IVF draws flak online

Rosendale's campaign against IVF has met significant backlash online.

One Facebook user commented, "What nonsense! Rosendale is working AGAINST the large majority of Americans who want to protect IVF with his self-serving mission to indulge his OWN nonmainstream beliefs." Another remarked, "These men just need to get over themselves and leave women's issues out of politics. So sick of this."

A third user wrote, "In terms of whacks he is the whackiest whack out there." A fourth added, "It's funny to see the party of 'personal freedom' and 'personal responsibility' become the party of authoritarianism."

The backlash continued with a fifth user stating, "Another clown who calls himself Pro-life when he's really nothing of the kind." A sixth user noted, "Republicans hate anything the general population wants."

A seventh user compared the Republican party to the Taliban, saying, "The Republican party is simply the western version of the Taliban." An eighth user commented, "Religious zealots should not be making laws."

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.