The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos are considered children, allowing a person to be held liable for accidentally destroying them. This decision has opened a new front in the battle over reproductive medicine in the United States.
In response to the ruling, Alabama’s largest hospital, the University of Alabama at Birmingham health system, has temporarily paused its in-vitro fertilization (IVF) services due to fears of potential criminal prosecution for accidental destruction of embryos.
The court’s decision has sparked concerns among medical experts and reproductive advocacy groups, who worry about the negative consequences for fertility treatments in Alabama and beyond. On the other hand, conservative groups have welcomed the ruling, asserting that even the tiniest embryos deserve legal protection.
The case involved three couples seeking to sue the Center for Reproductive Medicine and the Mobile Infirmary Association under Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. While a lower court initially ruled that embryos did not qualify as persons or children, the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision sided with the couples, stating that frozen embryos were considered “children” under the wrongful death law.