The science of IVF: What to know about Alabama's 'extrauterine children' ruling
An Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos can be considered "extrauterine children" under state law has major implications for how in vitro fertilization, commonly called IVF, is performed.
The ruling came in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by couples whose frozen embryos were destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic in Mobile, Ala. The court agreed with the couples that the embryos were protected under the state's Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. Legal and reproductive medicine experts say the ruling raises the risks and costs of IVF for both patients and medical practitioners.
Already, at least three providers in Alabama have announced that they are in light of last Friday's court ruling. And an Alabama lawmaker has said he will introduce state legislation that can continue in the state. For the moment, the legal ramifications for IVF only affect Alabama. That could change as "personhood" statutes that say life, and rights, begin at conception.
