Missouri GOP governor candidates take position that would put IVF access into question

Two of the top Republican candidates for Missouri governor said Thursday that frozen embryos deserve legal protections, signaling a more aggressive stance than former President Donald Trump and some Republicans who have broadly said they support protecting in-vitro fertilization.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Sen. Bill Eigel made the comments during an hour-long TV debate taped on Wednesday that aired Thursday night on St. Louis station KSDK. The other leading candidate, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, did not attend, citing a scheduling conflict.

During a yes-no portion of the debate, both candidates were asked whether they believe a frozen embryo deserves the same legal protections as a fetus developing in the womb.

Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican, quickly responded: “Yes.”

Ashcroft, who has served as secretary of state since 2017, initially appeared to hedge his answer.

“I guess so,” he said. “I mean, I’ve never really thought about it.”

When pressed, Ashcroft said “Sure, I’ll say yes.”

The comments from Ashcroft and Eigel suggested a more extreme position on the issue than mainstream Republicans have promoted both nationally and in Missouri.

“Mike Kehoe is 100% pro-life and, unlike Jay Ashcroft and Bill Eigel who oppose President Trump, will stand with him to protect innocent life,” Kehoe spokesperson Gabby Picard said in a statement.

Plank in GOP platform

The Missouri Republican Party platform says the party supports the “protection of the lives of In Vitro Fertilized embryos and all other human embryos from the beginning of biological development.”

Protections for IVF have become a major issue for Republicans after the Alabama Supreme Court in February declared fertilized embryos are people, throwing access to IVF in the state into question.

After the Alabama ruling, Trump said he would “strongly support the availability of IVF.”

However, the two Republican U.S. senators from Missouri — Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt — last month helped block a bill offering federal protections for IVF.

Access to IVF has special resonance in Missouri, which banned abortion in nearly all circumstances after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022. Democrats and legal experts have quickly pointed to the fact that Missouri state law declares that all life begins at conception, raising questions about how courts might rule on access to IVF.

Mallory Schwarz, the executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, criticized Ashcroft and Eigel’s comments on Friday, saying that the state’s abortion ban has “tied doctors’ hands, and patients are being turned away from emergency rooms, risking lasting health consequences.”

“Missouri Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and everyone in-between overwhelmingly agree– decisions about pregnancy, including miscarriage management, abortion, fertility care, and beyond, should be left between patients, their families, and their doctors– NOT their politicians,” Schwarz said in an emailed statement.

If either Ashcroft or Eigel win the Republican nomination in the Aug. 6 primary election, Democrats are poised to attack their comments in the general election. Missourians are likely to vote on constitutional amendment in November that would overturn the state’s abortion ban.

The amendment would protect access to IVF, legal experts previously told The Star.

During IVF, eggs are fertilized in a lab, creating embryos, which are then placed into a woman’s uterus. The embryos can be placed shortly after they are created or they can be frozen and then thawed for placement months or years later.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, frozen embryo transfers are more common and more likely to lead to live births.