The Alabama legislature has passed bills aimed at safeguarding in vitro fertilization following a ruling by the state’s Supreme Court.
taking swift action
To lessen the negative reaction towards a ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that recognized frozen embryos as legal children.
State Representative Terri Collins, a member of the Republican party, recently proposed a House bill that would grant both civil and criminal immunity to providers offering IVF services. This bill would also retroactively apply to previous cases. The bill was approved with a vote of 94 to 6.
Sen. Tim Melson, a Republican, proposed a bill in the state Senate that would give IVF treatment clinics equal protection. This bill was unanimously approved. Both bills will now be considered by the opposite chamber.
After initially undergoing the IVF procedure, many clinics in the state have halted or restricted their services due to the state Supreme Court’s decision.
The representative Ernie Yarbrough referenced rapper Vanilla Ice and described the disposal of frozen embryos as a “quiet genocide happening in our state” during the IVF procedure.
Earlier this week, Republican Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama stated that the state is committed to promoting a culture that values life, which includes IVF. She also announced that a bill regarding this issue will be passed and sent to her for review in the near future.
The Alabama legislature began discussing two distinct bills in response to public outrage over a recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court which stated that frozen embryos can be classified as children according to state law. This ruling arose from legal actions taken by three couples who had their frozen embryos destroyed after a fertility clinic patient mishandled them in December of last year.
The highest court in the state determined that a law in Alabama, passed in 1872, “applies to all fetuses, regardless of where they are located.”
In the majority opinion, Justice Jay Mitchell stated that according to Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, unborn children are considered to be “children” without any exceptions based on their stage of development, physical location, or other additional characteristics.
closing down.
Almostimmediately, the decision had a significant impact. The Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Alabama at Birmingham declared that it would cease operations.pausing IVF treatments
Due to the possibility of legal action against their doctors and patients, several IVF facilities have decided to temporarily halt their services. Following this development, two additional clinics that provide IVF treatments have also stopped their operations. In the state of Alabama, there are currently a total of seven clinics that offer IVF services.
On Wednesday, supporters of IVF therapy gathered on the Alabama Legislature’s steps to urge legislators to safeguard providers from legal action.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, introduced a bill on Wednesday at the federal level to establish nationwide protections for access to IVF. However, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi, opposed the bill.blocked the bill
In a statement given on the Senate floor, it was expressed that the suggestion is an excessive action containing harmful elements that exceed reasonable boundaries.
Melissa Quinn
Source: cbsnews.com