Alabama lawmakers have passed a bill to protect in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinics and doctors from lawsuits and criminal prosecution. Last month, the state’s supreme court ruled that frozen embryos had the same rights as children, and people could be held liable for destroying them. At least three IVF clinics paused treatments in the wake of the ruling, which divided Alabama’s conservatives. The new law will allow the clinics to resume services.
The outcome was worse that just pausing. Because clinics didn’t have clear guidance about responsibility about fertilized eggs, clinics refused to release them to the prospective parents.
As soon as this new legislation passes and the pause is removed, the smartest patients will immediately transfer their fertilized eggs out of the state and outside the control of these religious zealot lawmakers and state supreme court justices.
You also can’t just pause IVF on an individual. It takes weeks or even months of planning.