Remember during the 2024 campaign when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — that’s Kamala Harris’s former running mate, in case you forgot — shamelessly politicized in vitro fertilization (IVF)? He attacked Trump and JD Vance, accusing them of being “anti-IVF” over Vance’s vote against the Right to IVF Act in June 2024. Walz turned it into a spectacle, declaring at rallies and in interviews that IVF was “personal” to his family and warning that Republican policies threatened its availability.
But his grandstanding backfired when his own wife clarified that they had conceived using intrauterine insemination (IUI), not IVF. So much for that narrative.
It was classic political maneuvering, designed to tap into the emotions of families struggling to conceive.
Fast forward to Feb. 18, 2025, and the irony is thick. Trump signed an executive order directing the Domestic Policy Council to explore making IVF more affordable and accessible for Americans.
“Today, many hopeful couples dream of starting a family, but as many as one in seven are unable to conceive a child,” the executive order begins. “Despite their hopes and efforts, infertility struggles can make conception difficult, turning what should be a joyful experience into an emotional and financial struggle. My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.”
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"Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000," the EO continues. "Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help these families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence."
When I first heard about the executive order, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Walz politicized the issue and weaponized it against the Trump-Vance ticket with shameless lies, using his own experience with infertility as a shield.
“Even if you’ve never gone through the hell of infertility, someone you know has,” Walz said in a post on X. “When Gwen and I were having trouble getting pregnant, the anxiety and frustration blotted out the sun. JD Vance opposing the miracle of IVF is a direct attack on my family and so many others.”
The Harris-Walz campaign even released a statement claiming that Donald Trump “promised to fight 'side by side' with opponents of IVF and refuses to commit to vetoing a law that would endanger IVF access in all 50 states.”
The statement continued, “Trump, Vance, and their entire party have made it clear that they stand against women and their ability to start a family when and how they choose—and voters will make their stance clear by electing Kamala Harris this November.”
The Harris campaign wishes a happy IVF Day to everyone except for @JDVance pic.twitter.com/Oh8hITubWW
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 25, 2024
So much for that narrative.
Curiously, despite being such a strong advocate of IVF, Tim Walz has yet to make any public statement responding to Trump’s executive order. I wonder if he ever will. The way he shamelessly exploited his family’s struggle to attack the Trump-Vance ticket was low. It's a painful reminder of how Democrats will exploit their own families to attack their political rivals.
