It’s an election-year battle that has U.S. Sen.
Rick Scott touting himself in new ads as a “grandpa” who supports in vitro fertilization and Democrats traveling the state with a 20-foot-tall inflatable IUD. In the post-Roe era, Florida voters are likely to hear a lot more about birth control and fertility treatments, the latest fronts in a fierce fight over abortion and reproductive rights. Even anti-abortion politicians like Scott are anxious to distance themselves from the less popular stances some abortion opponents are taking, while Democrats raise the specter that IVF and contraception could indeed be targeted if Republicans win in November.
“He’s basically doing what is politically convenient for him right now and not what Floridians’ values represent,” said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat running to unseat Scott. “He’s trying to win his reelection. He understands he is facing a real threat.
” Scott’s campaign is accusing Democrats of engaging in fear-mongering through a series of polarizing “show votes” — like recent IVF-protecting legislation in Congress that most Republicans opposed as an “unnecessary overreach” — ahead of the November election. “Sen. Scott has been perfectly clear that he fully supports contraception and IVF and will aggressively oppose any effort to ban or limit access to either,” said Will Hampson, a campaign spokesman.
Scott supports a separate Republican-sponsored IVF protection bill that was blocked by De.
