2 months ago
Days after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said they're supportive of in vitro fertilization procedures.
Speaking at the POLITICO Governors Summit on Thursday, Kemp said he hasn’t had a chance to look over the Alabama rulings and “wouldn't even want to try to pretend to understand what the issue is there.”
When pressed on whether he’s comfortable with IVF in general, Kemp said, “I am. … You have a lot of people out there in this country that they wouldn't have children if it weren't for that.”
It’s a notable admission from the conservative governor, who signed legislation banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, colloquially called a heartbeat bill. Fetal heartbeats can occur as early as six weeks — before many people know they’re pregnant.
The law was challenged in 2022, but Georgia’s Supreme Court reinstated the six-week ban shortly afterward.
It’s crucial for people who disagree on issues like IVF procedures to be able to come together and have a discussion about it, Kemp said.
“Those are discussions where we got to get back in this country, where we're working together on things to find solutions versus just blaming the other side,” the Georgia governor said.
Also asked about the Alabama ruling at the summit, Tennessee's Lee said “generally I am supportive of IVF," explaining that he doesn’t yet know "the details of that case and ruling."
Abortion is illegal in Tennessee except to save the life of the pregnant person.
Both governors’ remarks seem to contrast with GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s following the court’s decision. Speaking with NBC News, the former South Carolina governor said she supported the ruling: “Embryos, to me, are babies. … When you talk about an embryo to me, that’s a life.”
Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.
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