House Republican proposes barring defense funding for IVF, says it’s ‘morally wrong’

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) proposed barring the use of defense funds for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.

Rosendale filed an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, his office announced Tuesday. The amendment states that the bill would defund “assisted reproductive technology that includes any infertility treatments or technologies including IVF to ensure human life is protected.”

“While I feel for couples that are unable to have children, the practice of IVF is morally wrong, and I refuse to support any legislation that condones its use,” Rosendale said in a statement. “My amendment will strip funding for this practice, which is responsible for the destruction of life to the tune of hundreds of thousands of children a year.”

The House is set to tackle a trio of spending bills this week for the fiscal 2025 government funding process. The measures will allocate funding for the departments of Homeland Security, State, Defense and Foreign Operations.

All of the spending bills were opposed by Democrats during committee, so they likely face an uphill battle in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

IVF has been in the national spotlight for months after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos were children, prompting many IVF providers to shutter their services at the time. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) later signed a bill that protected IVF providers from the ruling.

Rosenberg’s proposed amendment comes less than two weeks after senators introduced competing bills regarding access to IVF.

Democrats blocked an unanimous request from Republicans about IVF access earlier this month, saying the legislation proposed did not go far enough. Senate Republicans then blocked a Democrat-led effort to codify a national right to IVF, which was sponsored by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

Later Tuesday, the House Rules Committee approved a rule for the defense appropriations that did not include Rosendale’s amendment.

He posted online saying he was “disappointed but not surprised.”

“This amendment, like all amendments, should have been openly debated on the House floor for all of Congress and the American people to see,” Rosendale posted on social media platform X.

Lauren Irwin contributed to this article.

This article was updated at 10:04 p.m.

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