More than 6 in 10 U.S. adults support protecting access to IVF, AP-NORC poll finds

Relatively few Americans fully endorse the idea that a fertilized egg should have the same rights as a pregnant woman. But a significant share say it describes their views at least somewhat well, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The new survey comes as questions grow around reproductive health access in the continued fallout from the decision by the Supreme Court to end federal abortion protections. The poll found that a solid majority of Americans oppose a federal abortion ban as a rising number support access to abortions for any reason.

But anti-abortion advocates are increasingly pushing for broader measures that would give rights and protections to embryos and fetuses, which could have massive implications for fertility treatments and other areas of health care.

The poll suggests that when it comes to more nuanced questions about issues like in vitro fertilization, or IVF — which may be affected by the restrictive climate in some states, even though they were not previously considered as part of “abortion” — there is general support for reproductive health protections. But the poll also shows some uncertainty, as Americans are faced with situations that would not have arisen before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

According to the poll, about 6 in 10 U.S. adults support protecting access to IVF, a type of fertility treatment where eggs are combined with sperm outside the body in a lab to form an embryo. Views on banning the destruction of embryos created through IVF are less developed, with 4 in 10 adults expressing a neutral opinion.

“I believe that it’s a woman’s right to determine what she wants to do with her pregnancy, and she should be cared for. There