State Rep. Corey Harbison joins many state legislatures working overtime to deal with the fallout from the Alabama Supreme Court's recent embryo-related ruling, which caused the majority of IVF treatments in the state to be put on hold. He is one of the members of the Diet.

In an interview with Yellowhammer News, Rep. Harbison (R-Cullman) offered a frank assessment of the impact of the high court's decision.

“It could have a truly devastating impact on families in Alabama,” he said.

Harbison, whose child was born through IVF treatment, strongly believes that treatment is life-saving.

“People are spending $50,000 to $60,000, mortgaging everything they have, scraping rent, everything to bring life into the world,” he said. “In vitro, it’s as pro-life as you can get.”

Among those seeking a solution to the ruling is Attorney General Steve Marshall, who said he does not intend to criminally prosecute any organizations or individuals who provide or receive IVF treatment.

Harbison said he's not convinced the announcement will have much of an impact on the state's ability to reopen clinics.

“This still has to be fixed because every county still has a district attorney who can go after people,” he said. “At the end of the day, clinics, hospitals and doctors are not going to do that just because of the civil liability that comes with this ruling.

“I don't know if it would make much of a difference for him to say something like that, because there are still prosecutors who have the intention of filing charges, and then, as I said, from there, civil That could cause problems.”

But Harbison said if someone unrelated to the embryo intentionally destroys the embryo, that person should be held accountable.

“Right now, as the judges look at this case and the cases, I wonder if someone came in and destroyed the embryos,” Harbison said. “If that's what you're going for, go in and destroy it. You obviously have nothing to do with it. It doesn't belong to you. It doesn't belong to you or your husband or wife or partner in the clinic. It’s not. Then obviously there needs to be an impact on that.”

He also acknowledged that there is one issue with IVF that is causing concern among pro-life advocates.

“If there are embryos left, there are several options,” Harbison says. “It is of course possible to adopt these embryos to families who are genetically unable to have children. These can be donated to science to help learn and improve in vitro processes. Rental fees can be paid for as long as you wish.

“I think that’s the only pro-life question you have.”

Austin Shipley is a staff writer at Yellowhammer News.