The decision set off a national debate on the personhood of unborn IVF babies and the morality of the IVF process. Both Democrats and Republicans have been largely supportive of IVF while Alabama has been widely lambasted over the decision.
In response, the Alabama legislature fast-tracked a bill to enshrine new IVF protections, passing it in overwhelming votes in both chambers.
Now, with the two legislative bodies reportedly finished reviewing the House and Senate versions of the bill, all that remains is for it to be sent to the governor to be signed into law.
Pro-life groups warn of ‘irreversible damage’
The pro-life groups that signed Monday’s letter warned that the bill could “cause irreversible damage to the thousands of embryos, parents, and women in this state who would be at the mercy of such a monumental decision.”
Addressing Ivey directly, the letter said: “We urge you to veto this legislation as a rash reaction to a troubling situation.”
The letter also urged Alabama elected officials to “slow down and study the ethical implications of this highly complex topic.”
“While we understand and share the legislators’ concern for families struggling with infertility, this unjust measure will ultimately harm these families and jeopardize the lives of precious children,” they said.
Kristi Hamrick, a representative for Students for Life, told CNA her group believes the bill is “an overreaction and an overreach and also provides too much cover for an industry that clearly needs to be monitored, that clearly needs more discussion.”
“We think people need to slow down and take a look at this business and before they give carte blanche permission to the business to continue as it operates, we need to ask better questions about how it is operating,” Hamrick explained.
Hamrick pointed out that there are numerous examples of negligence and abuse by the IVF industry that warrant more careful consideration by legislators. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that a fourth couple just sued the Center for Reproductive Medicine, the IVF clinic at the heart of the controversial Alabama Supreme Court case, for negligence that resulted in the death of their unborn child.
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Hamrick said that many who are in a rush to protect IVF are overlooking the real danger the industry poses to unborn children.
In a statement obtained by CNA on Wednesday, Jeff Bradford, President of Human Coalition Action, stated that “all children have a right to life and must be protected as persons under the law, regardless of their stage of development.”
“At Human Coalition Action, we believe that human life begins at the moment of fertilization, and we are determined to care for and protect every child at any stage, including the embryonic period,” Bradford said.
What does the Catholic Church have to say?
During IVF procedures, doctors fuse sperm and eggs to create human embryos and implant them in the mother’s womb. Embryos that are intended to be implanted later are frozen. Undesired embryos are routinely destroyed or used for scientific research, which kills those preborn children.
While the Catholic Church encourages research to help married couples conceive, the Church is firmly opposed to IVF Donald Carlson, a representative for the Diocese of Birmingham, told CNA last week that the diocese would not condone the legislation because it contrasts with clear Catholic teaching on IVF.
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