Trump calls himself the 'father of IVF' in attempt to court female voters in Georgia
In short:
Donald Trump has sought to court female voters in a crucial voting bloc by saying he is the "father of IVF". The Georgia Supreme Court has reinstated an abortion ban blocking the procedure from six weeks, which experts fear could jeopardise IVF.
What's next?
Kamala Harris said voters should not be "distracted" by Trump's "choice of words".
Donald Trump has sought to court female voters in a crucial voting bloc by saying he is the "father of IVF" and flagging potential changes to abortion bans.
The Republican nominee was speaking at an all-female Fox Town Hall in Cumming, Georgia, when he was asked by a voter whether abortion bans would affect access to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other fertility treatments.
Trump immediately interjected, saying "I want to talk about IVF".
"I'm the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question," he said.
Earlier this month, the Georgia Supreme Court reinstated an abortion ban that would block the procedure from six weeks.
Reproductive health experts have raised fears that state abortion bans could also place IVF treatments in jeopardy.
A conservative Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that embryos are children.
That ruling left it unclear how to legally store, transport and use embryos, prompting some IVF patients to consider moving their frozen embryos out of the state.
Trump said the issue was first raised to him by Alabama senator Katie Britt who he called "fantastically attractive".
"I said, explain IVF very quickly, and within about two minutes I understood it," he told the town hall.
"I said no no, we're totally in favour of IVF."
Trump also called some state bans on abortions "too tough".
"Those are going to be redone because already there's a movement in those states," he added.
Trump did not specify which states he was talking about.
Trump's campaign later described his "father of IVF" comment as a joke.
"It was a joke President Trump made in jest when he was enthusiastically answering a question about IVF as he strongly supports widespread access to fertility treatments for women and families," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, when asked about Trump's comments, called them "quite bizarre".
"What he should take responsibility for is that couples who are praying and hoping and working towards growing a family have been so disappointed and harmed by the fact that IVF treatments have now been put at risk," she said.
"Lets not be distracted by his choice of words.
"The reality is his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America."
Ms Harris has previously said she supports Congress passing a federal law that would protect abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling which recognised a constitutional right to abortion.
In August, Trump told NBC News that he wants IVF treatments to be paid for by government or insurance companies if elected, but has provided little detail on the plan since then.
In Georgia, the six-week abortion ban has been particularly divisive following the deaths of two mothers, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who both died from "preventable" deaths after the ban was enacted, according to a ProPublica investigation.
The state is among a handful likely to decide the election.
