Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr. says ‘dishonest’ attack doesn’t reflect his record.
Tom Kean Jr., then a GOP candidate for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, speaks at his election night party held in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, on Nov. 8, 2022. | Stefan Jeremiah/AP
By Daniel Han
08/12/2024 05:00 AM EDT
New Jersey Democrat Sue Altman started hammering her House GOP opponent over in-vitro fertilization after an Alabama court put the issue in the national spotlight earlier this year.
She has not let up since, accusing self-described pro-choice Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of not standing up to “extremists targeting reproductive rights.” Kean, a freshman defending his seat in one of the country’s most competitive House races, called Altman’s critique “dishonest” and said he had a “longstanding commitment” to medical treatments, including IVF. Amid Altman’s attacks, he introduced a bill Friday to provide generous income tax credits for people to help afford the fertility treatment.
That Kean even has to defend himself shows how drastically the election landscape has changed since Altman entered the race last May. Access to the fertility treatment was not part of the national debate even a few years ago. But it is now at the forefront of the 2024 election following the Alabama ruling that frozen embryos could be considered people (the state quickly ushered in new laws that blunted the most severe impacts of the court’s decision).
Tim Walz, the newly selected running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, shared last week how he and his wife depended on IVF treatment to conceive their daughter. It’s the latest example of how reproductive rights has become a central campaign issue following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade’s abortion protections, though Republicans have generally been more accepting of IVF access. Still, a faction of conservatives oppose the treatment, raising a new debate over Republican support for reproductive rights.
