Ralph Reed, a prominent evangelical leader, was put on the spot during a CNN interview when host Kasie Hunt asked if he felt “morally comfortable” with Donald Trump’s recent claim that he’s the “father of IVF.” Trump’s remark, made at a Fox News town hall, stirred controversy as it touched on in-vitro fertilization (IVF), a treatment under scrutiny since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Reed’s Faith & Freedom Coalition has been pouring millions into rallying evangelical voters behind Trump, making his stance on IVF a hot topic.
In response, Reed side-stepped the issue, carefully stating, “I personally am, and our organization is.” He acknowledged that IVF raises “moral and ethical concerns” around the fertilization and handling of embryos, asking rhetorically if it’s “done willy-nilly” without respect for these concerns. Still, he tried to reassure Hunt by saying, “I think we can work through those issues.”
The conversation highlighted a sensitive spot for the GOP, which has found itself on the defensive about reproductive rights since the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be treated as persons. The issue flared up further when Senate Republicans recently blocked a Democratic proposal to protect access to IVF and mandate coverage, dismissing it as a pre-election “stunt.”
Reed, seeking to refocus the conversation, insisted that supporting IVF aligns with evangelical pro-life values, noting, “This is about couples struggling to have a child, to bring a life into the world… We want more people to bring lives, unborn children, to fruition.” But as Reed skirted Hunt’s pointed questions, it remains unclear where the evangelical community and its political allies truly stand on balancing IVF and pro-life values amid an ever-evolving landscape of reproductive rights.
