Trump says he wants IVF treatment fully covered, rejects Florida 6-week abortion ban
Former President Donald Trump criticized Florida's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy during an interview Thursday and implied he supports a ballot measure that would overturn it, a remarkable move for a GOP presidential candidate that could anger anti-abortion advocates.
"I think the six-week is too short; it has to be more time," Trump told NBC News during a campaign stop in Michigan.
When pressed on how he would vote on a proposed amendment to Florida's constitution protecting abortion rights, Trump said, "I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks."
The Trump campaign was quick to downplay those comments, insisting Trump hasn't decided how he'll vote on the Florida amendment.
Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement later Thursday that “President Trump has not yet said how he will vote on the ballot initiative in Florida, he simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short.”
And anti-abortion advocate Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement that she spoke to Trump Thursday evening and that "he has not committed to how he will vote" on the amendment.
Abortion access wasn't the only reproductive rights debate Trump weighed in on Thursday. He also told multiple outlets that, if reelected, his second administration would ensure that people seeking in vitro fertilization would have costs covered.
"We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment," Trump told NBC, before adding, "We're going to be mandating that the insurance company pay." He did not immediately provide additional details on how a plan could be implemented.
Debates over IVF entered the national spotlight after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the embryos created during IVF are legally protected like children. Alabama lawmakers almost immediately passed a bill clearing pathways for the procedure.
Cost can be a major deterrent for hopeful parents trying multiple IVF rounds. The estimated average cost per IVF cycle is about $12,000, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Trump has long said he's in favor of IVF services.
Florida law bans abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is roughly around six weeks of pregnancy. It was pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and supported by GOP leaders across the state, where Trump calls home and casts his ballot.
Abortion rights advocates are seeking to overturn it with a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution. The measure reads: "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider."
Allowing abortions up to the point of fetal viability outside the womb would return Florida to the standard that was in place under the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, which was overturned in 2022 by a court that included conservative justices appointed by Trump.
The fall of Roe has galvanized the abortion rights movement and turned the issue into a major factor in the 2024 election cycle. Trump has rejected the idea of a national abortion ban, prompting ire from anti-abortion groups and some of his fellow prominent Republicans. His running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, said recently that Trump would veto a ban if it came to his desk.
Yet voting in favor of an abortion rights measure that overturns an existing ban and limits new restrictions in Florida going forward would be a major break with the anti-abortion movement, which strongly supported DeSantis' push to outlaw the procedure after six weeks.
Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, said Trump is responsible for abortion access and IVF being at risk.
"Voters aren’t stupid," Chitika said. "Because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, IVF is already under attack and women’s freedoms have been ripped away in states across the country. There is only one candidate in this race who trusts women and will protect our freedom to make our own health care decisions: Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he wants IVF fully covered, criticizes 6-week abortion ban