Legislators in Alabama rush to defend IVF providers

A combined bill cannot become law unless it has been approved by both the House and the Senate.

It comes after the state’s highest court decided that individuals can be made accountable for killing frozen embryos, which have similar rights as children.

Many clinics withdrew services as a result of the verdict, which caused them legal headaches.

A bill to grant legal protection “for death or harm to an embryo to a single person or entity” in charge of providing IVF treatments was approved by the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday.

The state Senate approved a similar bill a few hours later.

By next Wednesday, a single bill may be presented to both houses for a vote and then given to Governor Kay Ivey for approval.

What do patients seeking infertility mean by the Alabama ruling?

Less than a month have passed since the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision that frozen embryos are kids, which sparked outrage from medical professionals, IVF mothers, and pro-reproductive organizations.

It has also caused division among the state’s devout Christians, with some hailing it as “a wonderful defense of life” and others fearing it may result in limitations for those undergoing fertility treatment who wish to start a family.

Lawmakers are rushing to safeguard access to reproductive therapies in light of the response. Political discussions around women’s reproductive rights and the state’s definition of the start of life have also been triggered by it.

After almost 3 hours of debate, throughout which a few lawmakers voiced concerns that the measure could jeopardize Alabama’s standing as a pro-life state, the Republican-majority House passed the bill 94-6.

Representative Mark Gidley, a Republican, expressed concern that the proposal is a “knee-jerk reaction” to the court decision and insisted that it is critical that the law acknowledge the human life inherent in frozen embryos.

Another person questioned whether it is “conceivable to do IVF in a pro-life way that recognizes embryos as children.” Ernie Yarbough made this inquiry.