House Democratic Caucus supports bill to change law on fertility treatments
The Alabama House Democratic Caucus is pushing back against the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on in vitro fertilization.
The ruling says frozen embryos could be considered children under existing state law, which raises questions if patients could ever donate or destroy unused embryos.
State Rep. Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) says the ruling is harmful to those looking to start a family. He and other Democrats are proposing a bill that would clarify that frozen embryos that are outside the human body cannot be considered human lives.
“House Bill 225 focuses solely on allowing women to continue using fertility services without fear of criminal or civil liability for themselves or for the healthcare provider,” Daniels said at a news conference in Montgomery today.
“So I urge you to support this legislation because it will bring clarity and stability to the law to the IVF fertility treatments. Most importantly, this will also return the personal medical decisions back to the women and their doctors instead of politicians who have absolutely no business making a decision about a person’s rights.”
Some Republicans also want action.
In the meantime, some Alabama fertility clinics and UAB hospital are pausing fertility treatments until the issue is resolved.
