yellow hammer news Annual panel discussion held On Wednesday, he met with the president pro tempore of the Alabama Senate and the speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives.

The event, now in its second year of four years, marked the second time Pro Tem Greg Reed and Chair Nathaniel Ledbetter appeared side by side as leaders of their respective chambers.

Also on Wednesday, the House and Senate committees that oversee health-related legislation introduced legislation aimed at protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF) families and providers, days after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling. did. Legality of the process A question arises.

Pro Tem Greg Reed provided live coverage of how Republican senators responded to the severity of the situation that unfolded last week and the process of offering solutions.

“This was an issue that was very important to me and the people of Alabama,” said Reed (R-Jasper). “It was a very emotional subject, which is understandable. But I don't have a medical background, we don't have a medical background, and a lot of our members don't have a medical background. Is not … There are two doctors in the Senate, Tim Melson and Larry Stutz.

“We had a section in our caucus where we stopped everything we were doing in our caucus. These two men took over the conversation and spent 20 minutes talking about what's going on here and why this is so important. We explained what the problem is, what happens in the procedure, why the procedure is done as it is, and all the elements associated with it. – That was exactly what we had to do on that subject.

“First of all, what we tried to tell our members was, 'Please slow down, you can't make a wrong decision about something over a weekend, even if it's very emotional.' . So I slowed down and took a look.”

Related: Alabama Republican lawmakers advance solution to protect IVF services – Democrats push for character referendum

Ledbetter said that just a week after the verdict was handed down, a neighbor called her and told her that she and her husband were about to begin the clinical process.

“All the money they've spent, all the shots, and everything she's taken to prepare. If she can't do that, she's going to lose all of that,” said Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) ) said. “All of us have been affected by this, including myself and my family who have gone through the process. I've had some members call me and say, 'Hey, what are you going to do?' This matters to the people in my district, it matters to my family, it matters to my family. ”

“We knew we had to do something.”

Related: Governor Kay Ivey: IVF “nurturing a culture of life”

Mr Reid and Mr Ledbetter assured that further action would be taken in the coming days and praised members for making it a priority during a busy session. The leaders also expressed why it is a worthy task for lawmakers to untangle the ruling from established principles surrounding the sanctity of human life in the state.

“Alabama is a pro-life state,” Reed said. “Our people I voted About a constitutional amendment that says, “That’s who we are.” At the same time, we want Alabama families to grow and thrive. Alabama is the best place in the world to raise a family. We just had to slow down a bit, be very focused and take some sage advice.

“I think we've done that to make good decisions.”

“This is important for this state and as pro-life as anything we can do,” Ledbetter said.

Grayson Everett is the state and politics editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270.