Sen. Rick Scott promises to protect IVF, his voting record says otherwise

On June 7, Florida Sen. Rick Scott announced a seven-figure ad campaign touting his pledge to protect access to in vitro fertilization. Less than a week later, he voted against a bill that would establish a statutory right to IVF for all Americans.

“Our youngest daughter is receiving IVF treatments right now hoping to expand her family,” Scott says in one ad, “She and I both agree IVF must be protected, for our family and every family.”

Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth brought the Right to IVF Act to the senate floor on June 13. In addition to creating federal protections for IVF, the legislation included provisions to make the treatments more affordable for working families. The bill, which required 60 votes to pass, faced near-unanimous opposition from Republicans, including Scott.

The debate over IVF access burst into public view earlier this year when the Alabama Supreme Court issued a decision in February granting personhood rights to frozen embryos. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System halted IVF treatments the following day. Public backlash to the ruling led to the Alabama state legislature passing a new law in March protecting IVF. 

Several far-right organizations, including Students for Life Action, which evaluates politicians based on their anti-abortion stance, support banning IVF. However, polling indicates that most voters find this goal too extreme, creating a political tightrope for many Republicans.

Students for Life Action gave Scott an A+ rating in May.

This is not the first time Scott has waded into the IVF debate. On March 6, he introduced a resolution he said would protect access to IVF. The resolution merely expressed sympathy for families struggling with infertility but did nothing to codify IVF access into federal law.

Scott has a history of opposing reproductive health care access more broadly. In 2020, he cosponsored a national 20-week abortion ban that would have imposed criminal penalties on doctors who perform the procedure. In April 2023, Scott endorsed a Florida law banning abortion after six weeks of gestation.

Since 2022, Scott’s political action committee has donated a total of $110,000 to Republican congresspeople who co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act. This legislation aims to ban abortion nationwide and could also restrict access to IVF. Among these lawmakers, Scott gave $10,000 to Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale, who recently proposed an amendment to a spending bill to prevent taxpayer funds from being used for fertility treatments like IVF.

Scott is currently seeking a second term in the senate. One of Scott’s Democratic challengers, Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, put out a statement on June 13 blasting Scott for his IVF hypocrisy.

“Rick Scott has once again proven that his so-called ‘support’ for protecting IVF access is exactly what it sounds like: fake and fraudulent,” said Mucarsel-Powell. “Radical Rick’s phony support for IVF is just his latest ploy to trick women into believing that he truly cares about our reproductive freedoms.”

A primary to choose Scott’s Democratic opponent is scheduled for Aug. 20. A Scott spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions for this story.