Donald Trump tells audience of women he is the 'father of IVF'

Donald Trump told an all-female audience he was the "father of IVF" at a campaign trail event in Georgia centred around women's issues.

"I want to talk about IVF. I'm the father of IVF," he said, prior to answering an audience member's question.

Trump's comments on Wednesday follow repeated references to IVF on his campaign trail. Earlier this year, Alabama's Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death.

Following this decision, Trump distanced himself from the Alabama case, and has since said he would put in place federal policy making IVF free of charge.

“We want fertilization, and it’s all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and we’re out there on IVF, even more than them. So, we’re totally in favour.”

Vice President Kamala Harris was quick to criticise his words.

"I found it to be quite bizarre, actually called himself the father of IVF and if what he meant was taking responsibility well, then, yeah, he should take responsibility for the fact that one in three women in America lives in a Trump abortion ban state," she said.

"What he should take responsibility for is what we have been seeing across the country since he hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court and they undid the protections of Roe v Wade."

Democrats have argued the Alabama case reflect policies Trump could bring into place if he becomes president.

Trump has made conflicting statements about his position on abortion, criticising states for bringing in laws that are "too tough" and vetoing a federal abortion ban, while taking credit for overturning Roe v Wade - a law which guaranteed a nationwide right to abortion.

Melania Trump, Trump's wife, has recently contradicted his position by expressing her support for abortion rights, claiming there is "no room for compromise" for woman's "individual freedom".

According to the Guardian, she writes in her book: "Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?"

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