Donald Trump is calling himself the ‘father of IVF’ in an effort to woo female voters in Georgia

Donald Trump has tried to court female voters in a crucial voting bloc by saying he is the “father of IVF” and flagging possible changes to the abortion ban.

The Republican candidate was speaking at an all-female Fox Town Hall in Cumming, Georgia, when he was asked by a voter whether an abortion ban would affect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments.

Trump immediately intervened and said, “I want to talk about IVF.”

“I am 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 six-week procedure.

Reproductive health experts have raised concerns that state abortion bans could also jeopardize IVF treatments.

A conservative Supreme Court in Alabama ruled in February that embryos are children.

That ruling left it unclear how embryos could be legally stored, transported and used, prompting some IVF patients to move their frozen embryos out of state.

Trump said the issue was first brought to him by Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, whom he called “fantastically attractive.”

“I said explain IVF very quickly, and within about two minutes I understood,” he told the town hall.

“I said no no, we are fully in favor of IVF.”

Trump also called some state bans on abortions “too strict.”

“Those will be redone because there is already 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 as he enthusiastically answered a question about IVF because he strongly supports widespread access to fertility treatments for women and families,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.

When Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was asked about Trump’s comments, he called them “pretty bizarre.”

“What he needs to take responsibility for is that couples who are praying and hoping and working to build a family are so disappointed and harmed by the fact that IVF treatments have now been compromised,” she said.

‘Let’s not be distracted by his choice of words.

Ms. Harris has previously said she supports Congress passing a federal law that would protect the right to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling that recognized a constitutional right to abortion.

In August, Trump told NBC News that he wants IVF treatments to be paid for by the government or insurance companies if he is elected, but he has since provided few details about the plan.

In Georgia, the six-week abortion ban has become especially divisive following the deaths of two mothers, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who both died of “preventable” deaths after the ban took effect, a ProPublica investigation found.

The state is among the handful likely to decide the election.