Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign introduced her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on Tuesday by highlighting that he and his wife used in-vitro fertilization to conceive their daughter, Hope.
“Governor Walz and Mrs. Walz struggled with years of fertility challenges and had their daughter, Hope, through reproductive health care like IVF — further cementing his commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to this care,” the Harris campaign said in a statement announcing his selection.
Democrats are campaigning on IVF access as part of their pro-choice policy, trying to portray Republicans’ pro-life agenda as interfering with the treatments.
In February, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos outside the womb are “children,” citing an 1872 law. The ruling raised concerns that it could be the end of in vitro fertilization in the state, because a clinic could be sued under the wrongful death statute if anything happened to an embryo.
Republican nominee former President Donald Trump criticized the ruling, expressing support for IVF. Democrats quickly tied the ruling to the U. S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, saying both decisions are examples of Republican efforts to restrict reproductive care.
Mr. Walz and his wife, Gwen, have been open about their use of IVF to start a family by going through fertility treatments for seven years, even though repeated treatments hadn’t worked.
He told the Minnesota Star-Tribune that because of those efforts, Hope was born in January 2001. Their son, Gus, was born in October 2006.
Ms. Harris has made the fight for reproductive rights, including abortion, a centerpiece of her campaign. It capitalizes on her role as the Biden administration’s spokesperson on the issue.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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