Alabama Supreme Court rules that frozen embryos are “unborn children”: When does life begin? What does this decision mean for abortion and the sanctity of life?
The Daily Article
The Denison Forum
4.9 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 22 February 2024
⏱️ 6 minutes
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Summary
The Supreme Court of Alabama ruled this week that the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to frozen embryos. This decision classifies embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) as “unborn children” and thus human lives, including those who were created in laboratories and then frozen. In response, a large Alabama hospital paused IVF treatments yesterday as health care providers weigh the impact of the ruling. If embryos were to be legally classified as human beings, the implications would be seismic across our society.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today is Thursday, February the 22nd, 2024, and this is the Daily Article podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | I'm Chris Elkins, narrating today's daily article written by Denison Forum co-founder and CEO, |
| 0:14.0 | Dr. Jim Denison. |
| 0:16.3 | The Supreme Court of Alabama ruled this week that the state's wrongful death of a minor act applies to frozen embryos. |
| 0:24.9 | This decision classifies embryos created through in vitro fertilization as unborn children and thus human lives, |
| 0:33.3 | including those who were created in laboratories and then frozen. |
| 0:37.2 | In response, a large Alabama hospital paused in vitro fertilization treatments yesterday |
| 0:43.3 | as health care providers weigh the impact of the ruling. |
| 0:47.3 | If embryos are to be legally classified as human beings, a position known as fetal personhood, |
| 0:53.3 | the implication would be seismic across our society. |
| 0:57.6 | Abortions would be the ending of human life and thus illegal in principle. |
| 1:02.2 | Embryos could no longer be destroyed, donated for research, or even stored, except for future |
| 1:08.8 | implementation in their mother. Unborn children would presumably |
| 1:13.0 | qualify as persons under the 14th Amendment's provision that, quote, all persons born or naturalized |
| 1:20.6 | in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States |
| 1:26.3 | and the state wherein they reside. |
| 1:29.0 | End quote. |
| 1:29.8 | This would grant unborn children all the other rights and privileges accorded to U.S. citizens. |
| 1:36.2 | It is obviously too soon to know the full consequences of this ruling for the people of |
| 1:41.2 | Alabama or whether it will impact other states. But it does raise |
| 1:45.4 | questions that are relevant for those of us who believe life is sacred from conception. |
| 1:51.1 | How should we view embryos outside the womb? Should they also be considered human and thus sacred? |
... |
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