Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake repeatedly referred to in vitro fertilization (IVF) as “UVF” in her debate with Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).
Lake’s false statements came during a conversation about the issue of abortion, after Gallego expressed her support for past bans on the procedure, including Arizona’s century-old abortion ban, which had no exceptions for rape or incest. She has since reversed her position as a Senate candidate, as have many Republicans across the country.
“I come from a big family — I’m the youngest of nine — and I know a lot about women,” Lake said Wednesday. “As a daughter myself, I want to make sure we have a choice about what our abortion law is in the state of Arizona.”
“I want to make sure UVF is protected,” Lake added. “I have a lot of friends who are here, they are my friends today because of UVF. And I have many of my friends who have had children and experienced the joy of motherhood and parenthood thanks to UVF.”
Senate Democrats have tried to pass legislation to protect fertility treatments like IVF nationwide after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that frozen embryos can be considered children, a decision that wouldn’t have been possible without the U.S. ruling. Supreme Court in June 2022 that repealed Roe v. Wade’s national abortion rights protections. Republicans have blocked the fertility treatment measure both times it came up in the Senate, calling it unnecessary.
During Wednesday’s debate, Gallego blasted Lake for his vapidity on the issue of abortion rights and said he would support legislation to restore Roe v. Wade’s protections for reproductive rights.
“It is disgusting that my 15-month-old daughter has fewer rights than her mother and grandmother,” Gallego said.
The Arizona congresswoman also criticized Lake, a prominent election denier, for refusing to acknowledge her defeat in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial race.
‘Are you going to trust her now? This is a woman who is still lying about the 2022 election,” he said.
