Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde confirms support for IVF and fertility treatments

MADISON — As Republican candidates in key national races seek to distance themselves from a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that could limit the availability of in vitro fertilization, Madison businessman Eric Hovde confirmed on Monday that he supports access to the fertility treatment.

"Yes," Hovde campaign spokesman Ben Voelkel wrote in response to a message asking whether the Republican Senate candidate supports access to IVF and fertility treatments.

Hovde is the first major GOP candidate to enter the race to unseat Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is seeking a third term. He launched his campaign last week in Madison.

Several Republican Senate candidates, along with former President Donald Trump, have voiced support for IVF in recent days following the Alabama Supreme Court's decision that frozen embryos used in IVF are children and have legal protections under the state's "personhood" laws.

Shortly after the Alabama ruling, National Republican Senatorial Committee executive director Jason Thielman sent a memo urging candidates to "clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government" to restrict in vitro fertilization.

The decision kicked off a frenzy among patients and doctors grappling with its implications for people attempting to conceive, often after years of struggling to have children or other complications in family planning. Democrats immediately began messaging on the ruling as further evidence of a GOP-led effort to restrict reproductive rights.

Thielman's memo cited overwhelming voter support for the fertility treatment, including among key conservative voting blocs. Around 78% of pro-life advocates, 83% of evangelical Christians and 86% of women support IVF, he noted.

The Alabama Supreme Court ruling "is fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain," Thielman wrote. "There are zero Republican Senate candidates who support efforts to restrict access to fertility treatments."

The NRSC director urged candidates to "clearly state" their support for IVF, oppose restrictions on the service, and advocate for increasing access to such fertility treatments.

The Alabama ruling doesn't outlaw IVF in the state, but it seriously complicates the process. The University of Alabama at Birmingham paused infertility treatments at their facilities after the ruling and health care experts say it could open doctors up to criminal charges in the case of mishandling embryos or even in the case of a miscarriage.

IVF is responsible for about 100,000 babies born every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — around 2% of births. The Department of Health and Human Services estimated in 2020 that there are at least 600,000 frozen embryos in storage nationwide.

Hovde's campaign sets up the prospect for a high-profile race in a battleground state that could prove key in determining which party controls the Senate next year. Senate Democrats this cycle are defending 23 seats, including three held by independents who caucus with Democrats. Just 11 Republicans are up for re-election.

Hovde previously ran for Senate in 2012 but finished a close second to former Wisconsin Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson in the primary. Thompson went on to lose to Baldwin by nearly 6 points. Hovde also weighed a race against Baldwin in 2018 but backed off, and briefly considered a run for governor in 2022.

Baldwin has been a staunch supporter of abortion rights.

"Tammy is the fighter Wisconsin women can always count on to defend our reproductive freedoms," Baldwin campaign spokeswoman Jackie Rosa said in a statement. "As the leader of the Women's Health Protection Act — the key piece of legislation that would codify the right to choose in every single ZIP code — along with other bills that protect access to contraception and in vitro fertilization, Tammy is going to keep working hard to ensure no politician or judge can stand in between a woman and getting the health care she needs."

Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Arik Wolk noted that Hovde said during his 2012 campaign that he was "totally opposed to abortion" and received an endorsement from Wisconsin Right to Life, which advocates for leftover frozen embryos from IVF being released to other families for implantation.

Hovde discussed his opposition to abortion during a 2012 radio interview when pressed about his donations to research into multiple sclerosis, which he was diagnosed with in 1991. During the 2012 interview, Hovde said he was proud of his donations but "have never once had my money directed toward any embryonic stem cell research" and said he did not support the practice.

Hovde told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, and thinks voters should decide the issue of abortion.

USA Today's Riley Beggin contributed.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eric Hovde campaign confirms support for IVF and fertility treatments