Minnesota governor shares personal IVF journey: 'No one's business but your own'
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If Minnesota's support for protecting reproductive freedom wasn't already clear, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz just made it so: His family used IVF, and he's proud of it.
During Walz's sixth State of the State address, the former teacher briefly shared his own family's painful struggle to conceive.
Why hasn't he shared this before? "Your personal decisions about your family are no one's business but your own," he said during the just over 23-minute speech.
Throughout his administration, Walz has been an outspoken advocate for access to reproductive care and assured Minnesotans in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade that the state would protect their access to abortion.
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"If you have never personally gone through the hell of infertility, I guarantee you someone you know has," Walz said.
More: "We will continue serving our neighbors": One year of Minnesota's abortion rights bill
Protecting Minnesotan's reproductive freedoms
Earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris made a historic visit to an abortion clinic in the state's capitol city while highlighting the work of Minnesota to become a safe haven for those seeking medical care.
In 2023, Walz codified reproductive freedom by signing the Protection of Reproductive Options (PRO) Act, effectively carving the rights into state law. This decision directly counteracted the language of the Supreme Court Decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
"Every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individual's own reproductive health, including the fundamental right to use or refuse reproductive health care."
Since 2022, the state has seen a 100% increase in out-of-state patients, according to Planned Parenthood North Central States.
The fight over IVF
In February, an Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through the in-vitro fertilization process had the same legal rights as children, resulting in hundreds of fertility clinics around the state shutting down, and families left reeling about their futures of reproductive care.
More: A victory for reproductive rights? Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands wins Alabama special election
"What those judges [in Alabama] did was a direct attack on our family," Walz said. "It was a direct attack on my children."
Earlier this month, Alabama's Republican Gov. Kim Ivey signed into law a bill that grants civil and criminal immunity to these fertility clinics performing IVF care for the "death or damage to an embryo" during the process, paving the way for clinics to re-open.
Despite Alabama's reversal of these effects on families, Walz said in his address that he and Minnesotans will not forget.
"You have my pledge as long as I am governor, IVF will continue to offer a lifeline of hope for Minnesota families," he said.
— Sam Woodward is the Minnesota elections reporting fellow for USA Today. You can reach her at swoodward@gannett.com, on X @woodyreports, or on Threads @samjowoody
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Minnesota Gov. Walz shares personal IVF journey
