Senate GOP campaign arm urges candidates to back IVF after Alabama court ruling

The Senate Republican's campaign arm is counseling candidates to "clearly and concisely reject " any efforts to restrict access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments days after an Alabama court ruling that frozen embryos are considered children drove the issue into the 2024 campaign.

The move demonstrates the persistent concern from party leaders about being out of step with voters on reproductive issues after the issue of abortion rights helped Democrats win many competitive races across the country in the 2022 midterms.

In a memo obtained by NPR the Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) warned Senate GOP candidates that the Alabama Supreme Court ruling could be "fodder for Democrats hoping to manipulate the abortion issue for electoral gain." The memo provides polling and suggested messages for candidates on the issue.

On Wednesday President Biden called the Alabama decision "outrageous and unacceptable."

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who struggled with infertility issues, told NBC that "embryos, to me, are babies."

Former President Trump, the leading contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, avoided the issue immediately following the ruling, but on Friday posted a message on his social media channel backing IVF and calling on the Alabama legislature to "preserve the availability of IVF" in the state. He said "we want to make it easier for mothers and father to have babies, not harder!"

Trump has not specifically stated his position on what, if any federal action he would back on abortion restrictions, but he repeatedly touts that he appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v Wade in 2022.

The NRSC memo cited data from GOP