AUSTIN, Texas – U.S. Senate nominee and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he supported in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in a break with the state party’s opposition to the fertility treatment.
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IVF is the process of fertilizing eggs in a lab and transferring an embryo into the uterus. Additional embryos may be frozen, donated or discarded. In 2024, more than 100,000 babies were born through the procedure.
What they’re saying:
“Strong families are the foundation of a strong nation. Every child is a blessing, and every family hoping to welcome a child deserves support and compassion,” Paxton said on X. “I am a strong supporter of IVF and pro-family policies that help Americans experience the wonders of parenthood.”
The move is a break from the Republican Party of Texas, who decided to call for an end to IVF procedures during their party convention last week. Delegates advanced language seeking to protect fetal life from “destructive practices, such as IVF and commercial surrogacy.”
Paxton’s support for IVF, and the Texas GOP’s opposition to it, place them on opposite sides of President Donald Trump, who has worked to expand access to the procedure.
The Republican Party of Texas did not respond to a request for comment.
IVF has been a point of contention within conservative politics for years. In 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos were considered children under state law, which prompted several fertility clinics in the state to suspend services over fear of penalties from the state.
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In 2024, Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill that would block Medicaid funding from states that ban access to the procedure. The bill ultimately failed in the Senate. At the same time, a Democrat-led bill also failed after being voted down by Republicans.
Paxton said he would support the IVF Protection Act as a co-sponsor if elected to the U.S. Senate in November.
“I am a strong supporter of IVF and pro-family policies that help Americans experience the wonders of parenthood,” Paxton said.
The other side:
A spokesperson for James Talarico, Paxton’s November opponent, said Talarico “stands with a majority of Texans by supporting IVF and defending Texas women’s right to control their own bodies.”
“Ken Paxton has consistently pushed to criminalize women’s health care and put politicians in the middle of decisions that should be left to Texas women, their doctors, and their faith. Paxton defended and enforced the most extreme abortion ban in the entire country, with no exceptions for rape or incest — a ban that has led to Texas women dying and bleeding out in hospital parking lots, forced Texas women to put their IVF treatment on hold, and jeopardized their ability to have children in the future by denying basic care that protects the health of women,” Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis said.
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