House Speaker Mike Johnson once again avoided addressing inquiries regarding his stance on whether he views IVF clinics’ disposal of embryos as equivalent to murdering children.
In a recent interview, Johnson was pressed on how he reconciles his backing of in vitro fertilization with his belief that life commences at conception, suggesting that fertility facilities discarding embryos could be interpreted as ending human lives.
“Do you see that as murder?” Tony Dokoupil of “CBS Mornings” questioned Johnson.
Johnson responded,
“It’s something that we’ve got to grapple with. We support the sanctity of life, of course. And we support IVF and the full access to it.”
He praised the popularity of IVF, citing personal acquaintances who have benefited from it. Johnson highlighted Alabama’s recent legislation, which recognized frozen embryos as children, as a positive step in balancing IVF access and abortion restrictions.
In response to concerns about IVF clinics facing legal challenges, GOP leaders swiftly passed a law granting immunity to these clinics.
Despite the pressing question about his stance on disposed embryos, Johnson evaded a direct answer. When pressed by Dokoupil for clarification, he remained elusive.
“I think policymakers have to determine how to handle that,” said the Louisiana Republican. “But we do believe in the sanctity of life, and if you do believe that life begins at conception, it’s a really important question to wrestle with. It’s not one Congress has dealt with, and it won’t be. I think it’s a state’s issue.”
Dokoupil tried one more time, asking,
“You don’t want to say where you are on it personally?”
“I think I have said. I mean, I believe in the sanctity of life,” Johnson replied. “Every life.”
Similarly, last week at his weekly press briefing at the Capitol, the House Speaker dodged this question when a reporter inquired about it.
“Look, I believe in the sanctity of every human life ― I always have ― and because of that I support IVF,” he said.
Alabama’s recent decision to classify embryos as children has placed House Republicans, including Johnson, in a precarious position. Many of them are co-sponsors of legislation like the Life at Conception Act, which defines “human being” to encompass all stages of life, including fertilization, without exceptions for IVF.
Effectively, Republicans have tacitly endorsed the notion that embryos are children and destroying them equates to murder.
However, they were caught off guard by the Alabama court ruling thrusting IVF into the national spotlight, leaving them without a coherent response on how to reconcile their beliefs in the sanctity of life and their support for IVF.
The GOP’s internal dilemma has been self-inflicted. Concerns about electoral repercussions are evident, with vulnerable House members like Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) expressing apprehension about potential fallout in the upcoming November elections.
On Thursday, reports emerged that Rep. Michelle Steel took to the House floor and publicly declared her withdrawal as a co-sponsor of the Life at Conception Act. She cited “confusion” surrounding its language concerning IVF as the rationale for her decision.
