Duckworth: Republicans Put the ‘Rights of a Fertilized Egg Over’ the Rights of Women

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that Republicans have put the “rights of a fertilized egg over” the rights of women in America.

Partial transcript as follows:

MARTHA RADDATZ: What was your reaction when you saw the Supreme Court decision in Alabama?

DUCKWORTH: Not at all surprised, unfortunately. I have been talking about this in 2018 when it was very clear that Republicans were working to eliminate women’s reproductive rights. I said if Neil Gorsuch gets put on the Supreme Court, if Amy Coney Barrett gets put on the Supreme Court, we’re going to have an erosion of Roe v. Wade, and even back in 2018, I said, IVF is next. They said they’re coming for IVF. So, unfortunately, I wasn’t surprised. I’m devastated for those families that are trying to start families, but I was not at all surprised.

RADDATZ: And just to be clear, the decision does not outlaw IVF, but obviously makes it more complicated. Can you freeze those embryos? What do you do with embryos that are not used, right?

DUCKWORTH: Well, the decision is very clear that a fertilized egg is a child, is a human being, which means that for example in my case, when we have five fertilized eggs and three were non-viable. When my doctor discarded those with my consent, that would be considered potentially manslaughter or murder.

Basically, Republicans have put the rights of a fertilized egg over the rights of the woman, and that is not something that I think the American people agree with.

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