Three Alabama clinics pauses IVF after court rules embryos are children
Days after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through IVF are considered children, three of the state's providers have suspended services.
Less than a week after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through in vitro fertilization are considered children, three IVF providers in the state have suspended services as they consider the legal repercussions of the decision.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham was first to announce the change on Wednesday. Then another practice, Alabama Fertility, posted a statement Thursday on social media saying it would put a hold on IVF treatments. The Center for Reproductive Medicine at Mobile Infirmary — the clinic sued in the court case — said Thursday that it would pause IVF procedures starting Saturday.
“We understand the burden this places on deserving families who want to bring babies into this world,” said Mark Nix, CEO of Infirmary Health, the system that includes Mobile Infirmary.
In its statement, Alabama Fertility said it was trying to find solutions for affected patients and "working as hard as we can to alert our legislators as to the far reaching negative impact of this ruling on the women of Alabama."
Hannah Echols, a spokesperson for UAB, said that health system will continue to offer egg retrieval but will no longer fertilize eggs or develop embryos.
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