Former President Donald Trump has proposed that in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments should be covered by insurance companies or the government if he is re-elected. The announcement was made during an interview with NBC News on Thursday (August 26). Trump did not provide specific details on how his proposal would be implemented.

Later in the evening, Trump spoke about his latest proposal during a rally in Michigan.

"I'm announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment," Trump told the crowd at Alro Steel in Potterville, Michigan. "Because we want more babies, to put it nicely."

The cost of IVF treatments, which can often reach around $20,000 per round, is rarely covered by insurance in the United States. Trump's proposal could potentially ease the financial burden for many Americans seeking fertility treatments. However, it could also put him at odds with some conservative anti-abortion activists who oppose IVF due to the discarding of unused human embryos.

The issue of IVF has become a political flashpoint in recent years. In Alabama, the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF are considered children under state law. This ruling has been criticized by some Republicans, including Trump, who called on Alabama lawmakers to preserve the availability of IVF in the state.

Trump's proposal comes in the wake of allegations from his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, that Republican-led abortion restrictions in some states could threaten access to fertility treatments. Harris's campaign was quick to respond to Trump's announcement, blaming him for the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark 1973 abortion case - Roe v Wade - which eliminated the national right to abortion.

Trump has previously boasted about appointing three of the six conservatives on the Supreme Court who backed overturning the abortion access law. However, he has attempted to distance himself from his record on abortion as Harris capitalizes on voter concerns about how Republicans could affect reproductive rights.

According to a Pew Survey last year, 42% of Americans have either used IVF treatments or known someone who did. This percentage rises with increased earnings - 45% among middle-income Americans and 59% for those with high incomes. These individuals are more likely to be white Americans who vote Republican, and many are ones whom Trump hopes to bring back into the political fold after losing their support in 2020.

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