For Tim Walz and his family, IVF is personal

As states and Capitol Hill debate reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization, IVF is a personal topic for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen. It's because of IVF and similar fertility treatments, Walz says, that he has a family of four.

Walz has spoken publicly about he and his wife's struggles with infertility, telling the Star Tribune in March that the couple underwent IVF procedures for seven years before Gwen became pregnant with their daughter, Hope. "It's not by chance that we named our daughter Hope," Walz told the Star Tribune. The Walz family's use of fertility treatments isn't lost on Vice President Kamala Harris, who highlighted their fertility journey after she announced Walz as her running mate Tuesday.

Harris has been a vocal advocate of reproductive technology, as well as women's access to abortion. "Governor Walz and Mrs. Walz have two children, Hope and Gus," the Harris campaign said in a statement Tuesday.

"Governor Walz and Mrs. Walz struggled with years of fertility challenges and had their daughter, Hope, through reproductive health care like IVF — further cementing his commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to this care." Walz voiced concern about Americans' access to IVF after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos made through IVF are children under the state's Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, sparking fears that women's fertility treatments could be placed in jeopardy.

"Gwen and I have two beautiful .