Buttigieg: Concerns around IVF treatments should not 'be decided by politicians'

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the “question of when life begins” should not be “decided by politicians” in the wake of a recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that said frozen embryos are children under state law. 

“I personally believe that the question of when life begins is a theological, moral or philosophical question not to be decided by politicians, but that women should make the decisions, especially decisions about a pregnancy,” Buttigieg said in a Thursday interview on "CBS Mornings" with co-host Tony Dokoupil.

Following the Alabama ruling, multiple clinics in Alabama paused in vitro fertilization (IVF) operations due to fear of legal repercussions.

“I trust women to make those decisions, so does the president. He’s going to make that clear tonight,” Buttigieg continued, referring to President Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address. “And like most Americans, believe that that is something to be decided between families and their doctor.”

A CBS/YouGov poll released Sunday found that 86 percent of Americans support keeping IVF legal for women. Only 14 percent said they think it should not be legal.

On Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed a bill, S.B. 159, protecting IVF providers from the recent ruling by the state’s highest court. It protects providers from lawsuits or criminal charges over the “death or damage to an embryo” amid the process of IVF.

“The overwhelming support of SB159 from the Alabama Legislature proves what we have been saying: Alabama works to foster a culture of life, and that certainly includes IVF,” Ivey said in a statement. “I am pleased to sign this important, short-term measure into law so that couples in Alabama hoping and praying to be parents can grow their families through IVF.”