The digital campaign team behind Democratic Texas State Rep. James Talarico, who’s running against MAGA-loyalist Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for incumbent Senator John Cornyn‘s seat, announced on social media today: “The Texas Republican Party has passed a measure calling to completely ban IVF across the state.”
At the Texas GOP state convention in Houston this month, the Republican Party adopted a “platform plank” calling for the ban. The Texas GOP codified its anti-IVF position and is recommending that its members and candidates embrace and push for the ban through future legislation. The Texas GOP opposes embryo destruction that occurs during IVF procedures.
[NOTE: The IVF procedure remains legal nationwide, and the Texas legislature has not passed legislation that bans IVF.]
The Texas Republican Party has passed a measure calling to completely ban IVF across the state. pic.twitter.com/7GvVHMsA7B
— Team Talarico (@TeamTalaricoHQ) June 17, 2026
The Houston Chronicle reported from the convention last week: “Texas already has one of the most sweeping anti-abortion laws in the nation. The platform calls for stronger criminal penalties, bans on IVF and more ‘tools to fight abortion and abortion pill trafficking.’ The plank also calls for criminal penalties for women who have abortions and delegates rejected an amendment that would have stripped that provision.”
The Daily Beast reported after the convention that “Paxton has not made his stance on IVF publicly known,” and that his campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Republicans face a challenging landscape when it comes to IVF bans, as despite the aforementioned concern about embryo destruction, proponents often characterize the procedure as pro-life because of its results. A Pew Research Center survey in 2024 found that “seven-in-ten adults say IVF access is a good thing. Just 8% say it is a bad thing, while 22% are unsure.” Notably, women and men were equally in favor of the procedure.
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