Tim Walz decided to speak about his struggle to have children with his wife, Gwen.
The same month, his team sent a fundraising email titled “our IVF journey” sharing an article that referenced “his family’s IVF journey” in the headline.
But Gwen Walz on Tuesday issued a statement that detailed the experience more comprehensively and disclosed that they relied on a different process known as intrauterine insemination, or IUI.
“He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.” Vance branded Walz a liar over his previous remarks on IVF.
“Today it came out that Tim Walz had lied about having a family via IVF.
Walz brought up the issue during his State of the State address in March.
“What those judges did was a direct attack on our family.” IUI involves placing a partner’s or donor’s sperm in the uterus at the time of ovulation.
With IVF, a woman’s eggs are removed from her body, combined with the sperm and then transferred back into her uterus.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In March, following the suspension of in vitro fertilization practices in the state by an Alabama court, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made the decision to talk about his difficulties with his wife Gwen becoming pregnant. In a fundraising email that month, his team shared an article with the headline “His family’s IVF journey” and called it “our IVF journey.”.
Furthermore, earlier this month, Ohio Sen. remarked, “If it was up to him, I wouldn’t have a family because of IVF.” Vance is a Republican running for vice president. “.
In order to establish a personal connection with voters concerned about the state of reproductive rights in the United States, Walz, the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, has made his family’s infertility a major theme of his campaign. s. However, Gwen Walz revealed in a statement she released on Tuesday that they relied on an alternative procedure called intrauterine insemination, or IUI, and gave a more thorough account of the experience.
IUI is frequently tried before IVF, but it is not as controversial politically because it does not run the risk of destroying embryos that are not used, which proponents of abortion rights argue represent unborn children.
Gwen Walz said in the statement, “Like so many who have experienced these challenges, we kept it largely to ourselves at the time – not even sharing the details with our wonderful and close family.”. “She was a nurse who assisted me with the injections I required for the IUI procedure. “.
READ MORE: On October 7, Vance and Walz will debate for vice president. 1 that CBS News moderated.
Speaking on behalf of the campaign, Mia Ehrenberg refuted claims that Walz had been deceptive and supported his remarks.
She said, “Governor Walz talks like regular people.”. “He was using shorthand for fertility treatments that was widely understood. “.
Regarding Walz’s earlier comments regarding IVF, Vance called him a liar.
It was revealed today that Tim Walz had lied about using IVF to start a family. On social media, Vance posted, “Who lies about something like that?
With Republicans frantically trying to find flaws in his biography, there is a discrepancy on what is for many families a very personal topic.
However, his supporters dismiss any criticism as politically motivated. He has also come under fire for the way he has described his time in the military.
In February, the Alabama Supreme Court decided that, in accordance with state legislation, frozen embryos might be regarded as children. A sensitive topic was introduced into the national conversation about reproductive rights when IVF procedures were momentarily stopped, shocking those who were attempting to conceive.
During his State of the State speech in March, Walz brought up the subject. Though he did not mention it by name, he claimed that the Alabama ruling was a “direct attack on my children.” His wife had IVF treatment. “.
The child was all that Walz and her partner wanted, they said at the time. “It seemed so simple.”. The judges’ actions constituted an outright assault on our family. “.
When ovulation occurs, IUI involves injecting donor or partner sperm into the uterus. A woman’s eggs are taken out of her body, mixed with sperm, and then put back into her uterus during in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Depending on their health conditions and insurance coverage, a couple may choose to try IUI before pursuing IVF in their fertility treatments.
Dr. Reproductive endocrinologist Jason Griffith of Shady Grove Fertility-Houston said that some patients are misinformed about terminology when they begin treatment. They “walk in and say, ‘Oh, I want to do IVF,'” according to her.
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When you bring up that topic, people say, “Wait, that’s not what I thought it was — where you just put the sperm into the uterus. Well, no, that’s intrauterine insemination,” Griffith continued.
Dr. According to Lafayette, Louisiana-based reproductive endocrinologist John Storment, patients’ husbands frequently misunderstand their conditions.
Storment went on to say he doesn’t believe IUI is in any danger. He explained, “With an IUI, all you’re doing is inserting sperm into the uterus and praying for spontaneous fertilization to happen.”. Religious Catholics are the only people who don’t really use IUI. They want either a natural conception or none at all. “.
The head of Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly known as NARAL, Mini Timmaraju argued that Republicans’ attempts to restrict access to IVF, abortion, and contraception would have unintended consequences that would impair access to other procedures such as IUI. Harris has received the endorsement of NARAL for president.
She claimed that by sharing their story, the Walzes had “put a human face on the struggle with infertility.”. “.
Using social media, Rachel Aplikowski, a representative for the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus, stated that Walz “needs to apologize personally for exaggerating their struggles.” Aplikowski claimed to have undergone both IUI and IVF to conceive. “.
Remarking that the Walzes’ experience was not as difficult as others who conceived through a different method is “absolutely disgusting,” Amanda Zurawski, who spoke on Monday from the convention stage about her dangerous experience with Texas’s abortion restrictions, said as much.
“The infertility world can be quite isolating,” IVF user Zurawski remarked. “And you want to be a part of the community when you find people who have experienced anything similar. “.
