A recent CBS News/YouGov poll conducted from February 28 to March 1 has revealed that an overwhelming 86 percent of American voters support keeping in vitro fertilization (IVF) legal.
This survey comes in the aftermath of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling declaring IVF illegal, arguing that IVF embryos should be considered “extrauterine children” under the law.
The ruling has led to the suspension of IVF treatments in the state, as hospitals and fertility clinics fear prosecution. Despite expressions of support from former President Trump and some Republican lawmakers, who have shared personal experiences with IVF, no significant action has been taken to safeguard access to the procedure. Furthermore, there is ambiguity on whether embryos should be legally classified as individuals.
While some Republicans have sponsored the Life at Conception Act, introduced in January 2023, that defines a “human being” at all stages of life, including fertilization, it lacks an exception for IVF in the House version. A Senate version does include such an exception.
Efforts by Democrats to pass a bill protecting IVF access across the country faced obstacles, with Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith blocking the Access to Family Building Act. Hyde-Smith cited concerns about the bill being an “overreach” with potential “poison pills.”
The poll also touched on perceptions of former President Trump’s influence on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion protections in Roe v. Wade. Registered voters appeared divided, with nearly one in five crediting Trump, while a third held him responsible. Almost half of the respondents believed Trump was neither responsible nor to blame for the decision.
