ERLC: How Alabama’s IVF bill undermines the dignity of the unborn

Posted at Baptist Press:

Published March 14, 2024

In February 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of parents who had utilized in vitro fertilization (IVF) and had their embryos dropped and destroyed at the fertility clinic. The court stated that frozen embryos created and stored in IVF clinics can be considered children under state law. IVF is a medical procedure that involves “the harvesting of ovum from a woman and sperm from a man, both of which are prepared before fertilization of the egg(s) takes place in a lab.” This results in the creation of a human embryo, which is then implanted into the uterus to try to achieve pregnancy.

When IVF clinics said the ruling would force their closure, the public backlash was swift and led many politicians, both Democrat and Republican, to denounce the ruling. In response, legislators in Alabama rushed to pass a law that protects IVF providers from civil and criminal liability. The legislation offers civil and criminal immunity to providers and patients for the destruction or damage to embryos, retroactively applying to past cases.

While recognizing the devastating realities of infertility, many pro-life organizations – including the ERLC – believe the new law is ill-considered, fails to protect unborn (also referred to as “preborn” by pro-life advocates) life, and is in opposition to the state’s constitution, which expressly protects the sanctity of life. Here are some of the thoughtful reasons pro-life Christians should also oppose this law and similar legislation.

Continue here.