• Medical experts and Republicans face a serious hurdle after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that a fetus is a “child,” according to multiple reports.
• Attorney Aaron Kemper, who is suing Kentucky's abortion ban and its impact on IVF treatments, said the court's decision does not currently make it illegal to discard non-viable or excess embryos. He said it's not difficult to understand medical experts' concerns.
• “It certainly intersects badly with Republican general election politics,” Stan Burns, a former Republican state senator and political consultant from Arizona, told Politico.

Medical experts and politicians are trying to navigate the potential fallout from Sunday's Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are legally considered human life, according to multiple reports.

A court has ruled that frozen embryos collected at in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics are considered “children” under the law. Wrongful death due to minor acts As a result of this landmark ruling, multiple fertility clinics have closed their doors due to concerns about potential legal repercussions, after a couple filed a lawsuit in 2021 over several embryos allegedly destroyed by hospital patients. 's IVF services have been shut down, political analysts say. claimed decision, was popular The policy, advocated by pro-life activists, could hurt Republicans in the 2024 election. (Related: Red states consider sex education bill that would require students to watch pro-life videos)

almost 97,000 Women undergo in vitro fertilization in the United States every year, but for many women in Alabama, that treatment has largely stopped.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham on Wednesday immediately shut down its IVF clinic, saying the hospital needed to assess the possibility that “patients and physicians could face criminal prosecution or punitive damages.” announced that it had been suspended. Another clinic, Alabama Fertility, also suspended IVF services that same day and canceled patient appointments until further notice. according to In the Washington Post.

Andrew J. Harper, medical director of the Huntsville Reproductive Health Center, told the Post that when the court's ruling was handed down, the clinic planned to destroy multiple “cohorts” of abandoned embryos over a period of nearly 20 years. told. Dr. Harper said the clinic is considering sending frozen embryos to “patient-friendly states” so patients can decide whether to dispose of them without running legal risks.

“It's a big deal,” said attorney Aaron Kemper, who is suing Kentucky's abortion ban and its impact on IVF treatment. Said Politico noted that while the court's decision does not currently make it illegal to destroy non-viable or excess embryos, it is not difficult to understand medical experts' concerns.

“This was about the accidental destruction of an embryo,” Kemper said. “But it's not a huge leap of logic to think that someone could be charged with willful destruction.”

The situation has also put some pro-life Republicans in a corner.

Asked what he would say to women in his state who are no longer able to receive IVF treatment, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a staunch pro-life advocate, said the situation is “difficult,” but he believes it too. I answered yes. A fetus is a human life, according to To The Hill.

“Again, you really want to give people that opportunity,” Tuberville said. “We need more children.”

Nikki Haley, former United Nations ambassador and presidential candidate Said “To me, a fetus is a baby,” he said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday. On Thursday, Haley addressed her concerns about women not having access to IVF treatment, saying, “It's so important that women like me have the ability to be blessed with a baby.” Ta. according to Go to NPR.

“But whoever holds the embryos, they treat those embryos with respect, and they make sure that they know what they expect from the parents who donate them and what they expect from the donors who hold them. It also needs to be clearly stated,” Haley said.

According to Politico, political analysts argued that the decision could come back to haunt Republicans in the 2024 elections scheduled for November. Stan Burns, a former Arizona Republican state senator and political consultant, said the ruling could give Republicans “another hot potato” in an already crowded election cycle. He said no.

“It certainly intersects terribly with general election politics for Republicans,” Burns said. “When you take aggressive action on this particular topic in any state, it makes people realize that, and a lot of people start thinking, “I might not be able to support the Republican Party in this election.'' Become.”

Republicans have struggled in recent months to push a unified message on pro-life issues, leading to several high-profile voting elections on abortion. Meanwhile, Democrats have already begun to capitalize on the issue, with some strategists saying their party would make the ruling a Republican issue, threatening access to abortion and contraceptives if Republicans maintain or expand their majority. He said voters should be warned that this is the case. according to In the post.

“They're coming for birth control. They're coming for IVF. They're coming for women. And if voters have a say, they're going to lose,” the Illinois Democrat said. Gov. JB Pritzker said in an emailed statement to the Post.

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