Whitney Fox continues attack on Anna Paulina Luna over IVF issue

Image via Whitney Fox for Congress.

Congressional candidate Whitney Fox is again calling out the Republican incumbent she hopes to face in November over what she describes as a “fake bill” protecting women’s access to in vitro fertilization treatments.

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who represents Florida’s 13th Congressional District in Pinellas County, proposed legislation entitled the “Right to Try IVF Act.” The move comes after Luna removed her name as a co-sponsor for another IVF-protection bill introduced by Democrats because she said her name was put there without her knowledge.

Luna said her new bill aims to “discourage states from prohibiting the use of in vitro fertilization” by prohibiting them from “preventing a licensed physician from performing in vitro fertilization on a woman who has been certified as experiencing medical hardship conceiving a child.”

But Fox, who is running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Luna, said her bill would not protect prospective parents longing to start a family.

“To me, there’s not a lot that could be worse than the government preventing people from being able to start a family and after we saw the attack on IVF treatments in Alabama, and even proposed bills right here in Florida, we know how real that threat is,” Fox said in a video announcement posted to X.

“But there is something that’s worse — deceiving families and giving them a false sense of security and that’s what Anna Paulina Luna is doing.”

Fox went on to describe Luna’s proposed legislation as doing “absolutely nothing to prevent what happened in Alabama from happening right here in Florida.”

“What her bill does is allow a ban to stay in place while stripping funding for reproductive services and child and maternal health care,” Fox claimed. “Bowing down to extremist groups is one thing, but lying to couples that are desperately wanting to start a family and making them think that they’re protected when they’re not, it’s deceptive and devious and a lock of leadership. This is why people don’t trust politicians.”

The video message calls Luna out for removing her support from the Democratic-sponsored bill, which now has some Republican support, because “the same extremist groups that stripped away women’s reproductive freedoms and helped cause these attacks on IVF in the first place told her to.”

She called the decision “cowardice.”

“I will fight to protect IVF nationwide — no fake bills, no BS, no deception,” Fox pledged.

But Luna positions her proposed legislation differently.

“I have always supported the responsible use of IVF,” Luna said in a statement when she announced the bill.

“IVF is an amazing innovation of modern medicine that helps families have children who would otherwise be unable to do so. Children are the greatest blessing, and we should support families in their journey to having them, especially as we are seeing increasing rates of infertility and declining birth rates. IVF is Pro-Life, and has helped so many families, several of whom I know personally.”

Fox further explained her position in a press release Thursday, noting that Luna’s bill only applies to states that enact IVF bans, which is not happening.

“They’re passing personhood anti-abortion bills that have the same impact as banning IVF,” Fox explained in her campaign’s press release.

“Instead of stopping or reversing IVF bans, Luna’s bill strips federal funding for reproductive, maternal and child health care services. This would exacerbate the hardships families are facing,” she continued.

Fox has been campaigning hard against Luna, but she has a Democratic Primary to get through first. Fox faces several candidates, including the latest to enter the race this week, Liz Dahan, who brought the number of candidates in the Democratic Primary to six.