GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville Confused By Questions About Alabama’s IVF Ruling

On Thursday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) was unable to answer basic questions related to a ruling by his state’s Supreme Court this week that embryos are considered children.

In a press conference at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Tuberville expressed his support for the court’s decision with the statement, “Yeah, I was all for it… We need to have more kids, we need to have an opportunity to do that, and I thought this was the right thing to do.”

Tuberville seemed unaware that IVF leads to more births not fewer.

When pressed by NBC News about potential implications for individuals who sought to have children through in vitro fertilization (IVF), Tuberville evaded a direct response and instead answered, “Well, that’s, that’s for another conversation. I think the big thing is right now, you protect — you go back to the situation and try to work it out to where it’s best for everybody. I mean, that’s what — that’s what the whole abortion issue is about.”

With the acknowledgment that he had not seen the ruling, Tubberville struggled to articulate how the decision, which could potentially limit access to IVF treatment, would actually facilitate increased opportunities for individuals to have children. He stated, “It’s about the same direction, but I agree, but people need to have access. People need to have — we need more kids, we need the people to have the opportunity to have kids.”

President Joe Biden criticized the court’s ruling as “outrageous and unacceptable.” He further expressed concerns that the decision could jeopardize fertility treatments for those who are desperately trying to conceive.

Several Republican lawmakers in Congress have suggested the need to modify state laws to accommodate families who desire children.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) voiced his opinion on Meet the Press NOW. “I think they should modify the law because, you know, the courts are just there, representing what the law is.,” he said. “We want moms and dads to have children if they want to have children.”

Tuberville previously gained attention last year when he delayed military nominations for months in protest against a Defense Department policy that allowed reimbursement for abortion-related travel expenses for service members.

However, he lifted the holds in December, leading to the confirmation of a backlog of hundreds of military nominees by the Senate.

Last year, Tuberville made headlines for saying that white nationalists should be allowed to serve in the military.