Chicago – February 25, 2024
IVF is a complicated and time-consuming procedure in which a woman’s eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory to produce a microscopic embryo. The fertilized embryo is subsequently implanted in a woman’s uterus, where it may result in a pregnancy, but success is not assured.
Embryos are frequently frozen or destroyed as part of IVF, which accounts for approximately 2% of US pregnancies.
The Alabama court concluded that an existing law, wrongful death of a minor, applies not only to fetuses in the womb but also to embryos housed in a laboratory or storage facility.
When the Alabama Supreme Court declared frozen embryos to be infants, there was immediate shock and confusion. Major hospitals halted fertility treatments, leaving prospective parents scrambling for answers about what might happen next.
The struggle over reproductive rights in America has long been fueled, in part, by Christian groups’ opposition to abortion; nonetheless, this decision has divided that movement and sparked debate over the role of theology in US lawmaking.
