Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs called out Republican Matt Rosendale (R-Montana) for proposing to cut off defense funds for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. Stubbs, a four-time Grand Slam doubles champion and a vocal advocate for women’s rights, expressed her outrage over Rosendale’s controversial amendment.
IVF is a medical process designed to assist couples who struggle to conceive naturally. It entails fertilizing an egg with sperm in a laboratory and then implanting the formed embryo into the uterus.
Rosendale, who represents Montana’s second congressional district, recently filed an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2025 on Tuesday, which would prohibit the use of defense funds for any form of assisted reproductive technology, including IVF.
Rosendale claimed that IVF is "morally wrong" and "responsible for the destruction of life to the tune of hundreds of thousands of children a year." He also equated IVF with abortion, saying that anyone who opposes the latter should also oppose the former.
"While I feel for couples that are unable to have children, the practice of IVF is morally wrong, and I refuse to support any legislation that condones its use," Rosendale said.
"My amendment will strip funding for this practice, which is responsible for the destruction of life to the tune of hundreds of thousands of children a year. If you are opposed to abortion, you should be opposed to the practice of IVF, which destroys twice as much life as Planned Parenthood yearly," he added.
Rosendale’s proposed amendment has sparked a backlash from many people who support IVF and reproductive rights. Stubbs, who is openly lesbian and has been in a relationship with Eden Bruce for five years, took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast Rosendale for his proposal.
"What the hell!! I have no words for these guys!" Stubbs wrote.
Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs called out Pope Francis' appeal for a global ban on surrogacy

Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs criticized Pope Francis' call for a global ban on surrogacy earlier this year.
The Catholic Church opposes surrogacy and in-vitro fertilization, citing concerns over the devaluation of conception and embryo disposal. Despite this, the Vatican allows children born via surrogacy to same-sex parents to be baptized.
On January 9, Pope Francis claimed surrogacy was not only "deplorable" but also violated the rights and dignity of both the woman and the child.
“I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs,” the Pope said (quoted via TIME). “A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract.”
Stubbs reacted to the news on social media, stating she had "no words" for the Pope's stance.
"No words! 😡 ," Stubbs captioned her Instagram story.

Rennae Stubbs coached Serena Williams for her final Grand Slam tournament at the 2022 US Open, where the American reached the third round before losing to Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-7, 6-1.
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