Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana has put up signs outside his office railing against in vitro fertilization (IVF), his latest public statement against the procedure that most Republicans already support.
“If you believe, as I do, that life begins at conception, there is no difference between an abortion and the destruction of an IVF embryo,” says one poster quoting Rosendale.
Another claims: “IVF destroys more lives than Planned Parenthood.” Citing Article from the conservative think tank Witherspoon Institute and a Article from the Catholic News Agencyclaims that about 700,000 “frozen, destroyed, experimented on” fertilized IVF embryos take place each year, citing Planned Parenthood’s Report 2022-23 and reported that 392,715 abortions were performed.
The posters were put up Thursday morning, a Rosendale spokesman said.
“I am heartbroken for couples who are struggling to conceive a child, but I humbly ask all my colleagues to educate themselves about the practice of IVF and ask themselves whether IVF is actually compatible with their pro-life values,” Rosendale said in a statement.
The posters are not the only public statement Rosendale has made against IVF. Earlier this week proposed a change to a defense appropriations bill to prevent funds from being spent on IVF. This change was not made properly.
In vitro fertilization became a national topic of debate after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that embryos are children, creating a threat to IVF centers that feared the consequences of the standard practice of discarding or destroying embryos.
Since that ruling, most Republicans nationally have expressed support for IVF. Earlier this month, every Republican senator signed a declaration of commitment stating They “strongly support” continued federal access to IVF, although they blocked a Democratic bill to codify IVF access.
Rosendale will leave office at the end of the year, will not seek re-election, and will not run for the Senate in the face of opposition from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Republicans’ campaign arm for the Senate.
