The Alabama state House and Senate passed a bill Thursday to protect in vitro fertilization (IVF) after the Supreme Court reportedly ruled last Friday that frozen embryos are “extrauterine children”.
The Alabama Supreme Court deemed that embryos destroyed in the IVF procedure, which fertilizes eggs and implants them into women with fertility issues, should be considered human life. This caused several IVF clinics to shut down for fear of legal complications. This ruling sparked outrage in the Republican sphere, with politicians like South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace and Former President Donald Trump actively speaking out against it. “We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!” Trump stated in a post on Truth Social. “That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America.” (RELATED: Medical Professionals, Republicans Face New Challenges Following Red State Supreme Court’s Embryo Ruling)
Alabama House votes 94-6 to pass bill that “no action, suit, or criminal prosecution for the damage to or death of an embryo shall be brought or maintained against any individual or entity when providing or receiving goods or services related to in vitro fertilization.”… pic.twitter.com/o9qcc4EDzM
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) February 29, 2024
As a result of this pushback, the Alabama legislature passed a measure to give IVF clinics legal protection. “Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,” the bill stated, “an individual or entity that provides services related to in vitro fertilization shall have criminal and civil immunity to the extent the individual or entity follows commonly accepted practices of providing in vitro fertilization services.”
The lower chamber reportedly voted 94-6 before also being passed by the Senate. Democrats reportedly criticized the fact that the bill failed to clarify whether an embryo created by IVF should be treated as a child under Alabama law, according to NBC News. The bill is supposed to sunset in 13 months unless further action to extend it is taken.