As a fertility specialist with three decades of experience, I have helped many couples experience the joy of parenthood through the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
And as a staunch Republican, conservative Texan and proud supporter of former President Donald Trump, it is because of the extra scrutiny on this topic in recent months, that I urge members of the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) platform committee to adopt pro-IVF language in the Republican platform at the upcoming RNC Convention.
IVF’s new scrutiny, fueled by election year political maneuvering by both parties in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on IVF, is pushing lawmakers, even those who are pro-family, to consider misguided regulations that could severely limit or even eliminate this life-affirming treatment as an option for infertile couples.
As both a Republican and an industry leader in this field, I can tell you that this would be a massive mistake for the Republican Party.
First, IVF is inherently pro-life and pro-family as is the Republican platform. I have helped thousands of families conceive. And I can assure you that no couple goes through this process without desperately wanting to be parents, start a family and pass their shared values onto the next generation. What better way to support American families and our next generation than by supporting these life-giving treatments?
We need to remember that infertility is a medical condition that affects 1 in 8 couples of reproductive age in the United States, impacting over 10 million people. As Republicans, we do not think twice about supporting people with conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure. And while infertility is more complex than diabetes, it is curable through medical interventions.
Second, Trump has said he “strongly supports the availability of IVF” and has called on lawmakers to take actions to protect it in the wake of the Alabama ruling. As a party, what better message to send to the American people than a simple policy statement saying we wholeheartedly support the life-giving treatments that IVF provides and the beautiful new babies these moms bring into the world because of it?
As a result of Trump’s support, all 49 Republicans in the Senate signed a resolution affirming their support for IVF, and a new bill in the House sponsored by Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer of Oregon and Republican Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa has recently dropped that would make IVF much more accessible nationwide.
I sit on the board of an organization called Americans for IVF and polling shows that overwhelming majorities of Republicans, conservatives and Christians support IVF. The numbers are staggeringly positive.
So, with Trump, both houses of Congress and an overwhelming majority of Republicans supporting this treatment, we should not have to deal with much pushback, but alas we see some.
Some of it is simply from a clickbait-seeking media corps who will attempt to make a scandal out of nearly any issue that Trump discusses. Others have to do with the insidious falsehoods that have been generated about IVF’s process.
Opponents of IVF often pursue agendas that, while driven by fervent belief, are misguided or ill-informed. Some theologically oppose IVF altogether, which may be driving their calls for unreasonable restrictions.
Contrary to what some might state, natural conception is inherently inefficient, with a young woman who has previously given birth having only a 15-20% chance of conceiving in any given month. In other words, the overwhelming majority of natural menstrual cycles result in a failed attempt at pregnancy. Factors like egg quality, sperm quality and uterine health all play roles, and the chances for success decrease significantly with age.
Even with IVF, many retrieved eggs fail to produce viable embryos, just as in nature. While IVF replicates the natural process of conception, tremendous scientific advances have enabled pregnancy rates to rise from nature’s 15% to over 60% in a single cycle of IVF.
Falsehoods about IVF, such as the claim that fertility medications are carcinogenic or that embryos are carelessly destroyed, must be corrected. Transferring multiple embryos to increase pregnancy rates is no longer necessary, thanks to advances like preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).
This technology increases pregnancy rates, reducing miscarriages and nearly eliminates the risks associated with multiple pregnancies. As a result of PGT and other laboratory advances, over 90% of IVF cycles in the U.S. now involve the transfer of only a single embryo.
Contrary to another claim, IVF is not the “unregulated Wild West.” It is highly regulated at multiple levels, with IVF labs subject to unannounced inspections by bodies like the College of American Pathologists and the Food and Drug Administration. Practitioners are required by law to collect and report extensive data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention annually, with non-compliance resulting in penalties.
Additional regulations could make IVF inaccessible, condemning infertile couples to childlessness and preventing the birth of thousands of babies each year.
Democrats and some bad actors in the mainstream media are already trying to take the very pro-life issue of IVF and co-opt it as their own. Arguing amongst ourselves on this topic in Milwaukee, only clouds the issue further.
The truth is that IVF is a miraculous medical procedure that enables millions of people struggling with infertility to achieve their dream of parenthood.
I urge the RNC to help protect the rights of infertile couples and promote family growth, by supporting sensible platform language that upholds the pro-life, pro-family, pro-IVF Republican position at our convention.
Dr. Kaylen Silverberg, M.D., is the medical director of the Texas Fertility Center in Austin, TX, and chairs the advisory board of Americans for IVF, a newly formed national organization dedicated to education surrounding IVF.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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