Alabama's IVF ruling puts Republicans in a political bind
As Republicans struggle to coalesce around a message on abortion, a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision on IVF has put them in a new bind.
As Republicans struggle to coalesce around a message on abortion ahead of the 2024 elections, a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision finding that embryos created through in vitro fertilization are considered children has put them in a new bind.
The issue has created complications for politicians who have pushed strict anti-abortion policies, said that they believe life begins at conception, or believe that an embryo or fetus deserves the full rights of a person. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling showed the far-reaching consequences those sorts of policies could have for families, and the political difficulties Republicans still face in coming up with a way to talk about the issue to voters.
The ruling has many doctors and families worried that IVF will become less available, because people could theoretically be sued for destroying an embryo. During the IVF process, embryos are often discarded if they have genetic abnormalities or after patients decide they will not need to use them.
Already, three facilities in the state have paused IVF services.
On Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told NBC News that she supported the Alabama ruling, stating, “Embryos, to me, are babies.” But just a few hours later, Haley seemed to walk back her comment on CNN, saying, “I didn’t say that I agreed with the Alabama ruling.” She added, however, that she still believes “an embryo is an unborn baby.”
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