President Trump announced new efforts to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), including new federal guidance allowing employers to offer IVF coverage as a workplace benefit and a deal with pharmaceutical company EMD Serono to reduce the cost of fertility drugs.

The administration’s move aims to make IVF more affordable for American families. However, pro-life leaders warn that expanding IVF also expands the destruction of human embryos. IVF routinely involves creating multiple embryos, many of which are later frozen, discarded, or used for research.

Trump said the new guidance from the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services would allow employers to add fertility coverage much like dental or vision benefits. EMD Serono, the largest fertility drug manufacturer in the world, agreed to offer its IVF-related medications at up to 84 percent off list prices.

While the president described the initiative as pro-family, pro-life advocates called it deeply troubling. “This is the fundamental ethical issue of IVF: the destruction or abandonment of human life,” said Dr. Lauren Rubal, a reproductive endocrinologist who promotes restorative reproductive medicine, in an interview with Live Action.

EPPC Fellow Alexandra DeSanctis stated regarding the plan: "IVF does nothing to identify or treat the underlying causes of infertility, it commodifies children, and it typically involves killing one or more unborn children. This is not health care."