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The IVF community is reeling from an Alabama court’s ruling that embryos created through IVF are “children outside the womb” and are legally protected like any other child.
IVF advocates say the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision has far-reaching implications for millions of Americans struggling to conceive, especially those living in states with “personhood” laws that give unborn children legal status. It is argued that it may have an impact.
The court’s decision repeatedly cited Christian beliefs and the Alabama Constitution, which specifically protects unborn children, usually referring to fetuses developing in the womb.
IVF advocates have been warning for years that such a decision could affect a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion. Ta. In 2020, the federal Department of Health and Human Services estimated that there were at least 600,000 frozen embryos in storage across the United States. The National Embryo Donation Center said the number could be as high as 1 million.
Nationally, about 2% of annual births involve in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization is a process in which multiple eggs are collected, fertilized, and implanted to create a pregnancy. The Alabama ruling raises questions about what happens to unused embryos in storage, whether authorities can order them transferred to unwilling parents or charge them with child abuse, and whether doctors can order embryos that have failed to develop. This raises questions about what would happen if it were transplanted.
“This is exactly what we’ve been fearing and worrying about where it’s going to end up,” said Barbara Collula, CEO of Resolve, the National Fertility Association. “We are very concerned that this is happening in other states as well.”
Korula said the decision will likely halt most IVF operations in Alabama. Doctors fear that mishandling a fetus, or even miscarrying it, could lead to charges of murder.
Alabama’s decision raises the stakes for both abortion rights and anti-abortion groups during the presidential election. President Joe Biden has vowed to protect access to abortion and reproductive rights. The New York Times reported last week that Republican candidate Donald Trump privately told his supporters that he supports a ban on abortions after 16 weeks. During his presidential term, he appointed conservative U.S. Supreme Court members who overturned abortion rights.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 100,000 babies are born each year through in vitro fertilization. Because IVF was developed after Roe became law in 1973, embryos are typically treated as private property and can be implanted, given away, or destroyed by donors without repercussions. Ta.
The ruling came in a case brought by two couples who alleged that their frozen embryos stored in liquid nitrogen were accidentally destroyed. The court acknowledged that this decision could reshape or discontinue in vitro fertilization in Alabama and potentially nationwide, but said that law and faith required this finding.
“In summary, the theologically grounded view of the sanctity of life adopted by the people of Alabama includes the following: (1) God created all people in His image; (2) Therefore, each person has a value far beyond human ability.” (3) Without incurring the wrath of a holy God who views the destruction of His images as an affront to Himself. , a person’s life cannot be unjustly destroyed,” Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker said in an opinion attached to the ruling. .
Parker, a Republican, is a longtime abortion opponent who is affiliated with Focus on the Family and is a former controversial Republican who was twice removed from office for scandals, including Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court. I am working closely with Mr. In Alabama, Supreme Court justices are elected through partisan elections for six-year terms.
The anti-abortion group Live Action said in a statement that it hopes the Alabama ruling will apply elsewhere.
“From the tiniest fetus to the elderly nearing the end of life, everyone has immense value and deserves legal protection,” said Lila Rose, President and Founder of Live Action. Protection is guaranteed.” “That fundamental moral truth is etched in our minds and supported by basic science found in trusted biology textbooks. The U.S. Supreme Court should take note.”
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