Yet another setback against reproductive rights in the United States. On Friday, February 16, the Alabama Supreme Court decided to now consider embryos preserved by freezing to be “babies.”
A decision that applies to “all unborn children”
The decision was based on the complaint of three couples who practiced medically assisted procreation between 2013 and 2016, against a clinic. Relying on an 1872 law on wrongful deaths of minors, they filed a complaint after another patient accidentally destroyed their embryos when entering a storage facility.
While the court had initially rejected the complaint, finding that the embryos could not be classified as a “person” or “child,” the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in their favor.
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“This applies to all children, born and unborn”. “The people of Alabama have declared that it is the policy of this state that unborn human life is sacred.”the judge wrote Jay Mitchellin reference to the state ban on abortion. “We believe that every human being, from the moment of conception, is made in the image of God”He continued.
“Devastating consequences” for in vitro fertilization
A decision that could have “devastating consequences” for fertilization procedures in vitro in this conservative state, according to Resolve, the leading American association dedicated to infertility. “ This new legal framework could make practices such as in vitro fertilization impossible », denounced the NGO Resolve, which fears that this decision will extend to the entire United States.
The Alabama State Medical Association warned that decision “It could lead to the closure of fertility clinics and the movement of specialists to other states to practice the profession” your business without fear of legal action.
This decision was also strongly criticized by the White House: “ Across the country, women are suffering the devastating consequences of the actions of Republican elected officials », the spokesperson reported on Tuesday Karine Jean-Pierre. Friday’s decision reflects “exactly the kind of chaos we expected when the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade,” repealed in June 2022, which guaranteed the right to abortion.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
