The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled: embryos conceived through in vitro fertilization must be considered unborn children. This decision worries NGOs and Democrats in the middle of the electoral campaign.
In the United States, a large university hospital in Birmingham, Alabama has decided to suspend all in vitro fertilization treatments, for fear of criminal prosecution.
The ruling follows a ruling by the Republican-led state Supreme Court that recently defined all frozen embryos as unborn children. According to the Associated Press, this ruling is peppered with biblical references. It follows a complaint from couples whose frozen embryos had been inadvertently destroyed.
After being dismissed during a first trial, the plaintiffs therefore won their case before the High Court of the State.
According to experts, this case law could have profound consequences both for patients who seek fertility care and for the health professionals who provide it.
In the middle of the electoral campaign, Republican candidate Nikky Haley welcomed the Court’s decision while the White House denounced the motivations of the Alabama judges.
