No, HB 1373 Does Not Ban IVF.
On January 14, Representative Lori VanWinkle filed HB 1373 to protect every preborn child in North Dakota. It is an indisputable fact that life begins at conception, and every human life is deserving of equal protection under the law, per God’s Law and the 14th Amendment. Immediately following the filing of this common sense pro-life bill, the abortion industry went into full attack mode to stop this bill from passing. Planned Parenthood North Dakota Advocate published a statement against HB 1373, calling it a “a harmful bill redefining human being and personhood to apply at the moment of conception” that would “undermine the rights of pregnant people.”
In the wake of Planned Parenthood’s opposition to the bill, lies have been circulating about the bill, claiming that it would “ban IVF” in North Dakota. The claim that a bill designed to protect preborn babies from abortion would ban IVF is misinformation frequently deployed by the abortion industry to advocate against pro-life legislation.
Here are the facts: This bill criminalizes homicide and assault against a preborn person. This bill does not ban IVF. The core of the IVF process is creating, freezing, and implanting embryos and none of those three things constitute homicide or assault. If an embryo fails to grow or it fails to implant, that is considered an accidental death or a miscarriage. The only thing that would not be allowed under this bill is the INTENTIONAL destruction of an embryo in the lab or through selective reduction. Intentionally destroying embryos is not necessary to the process of IVF. Parents would have the option to keep their embryos frozen or adopt them out. This bill would ensure that the IVF industry implements a proper standard of care for the human beings they are creating.
The opponents of HB 1373 are perpetuating fear regarding access to IVF, but their concern does not lie with the couples who are struggling with infertility. No, their true agenda is to keep abortion legal through all nine months of pregnancy through any means necessary. The choice is clear: stand for LIFE by supporting HB 1373 or stand with Planned Parenthood and their pro-abortion agenda.
