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What A Day

Fertility Treatments Threatened In Post-Roe Alabama

What A Day

What A Day

News, Daily News

4.6 • 12.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2024

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The University of Alabama health system became the first organization in the state to pause IVF treatments following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said frozen embryos can legally be considered “children.” Meanwhile, the future of IVF in the ten other states remains unclear as well because, like Alabama, they say life begins at fertilization. To learn more about how this fits into the larger fight for reproductive rights, we spoke with Dana Sussman, deputy executive director of Pregnancy Justice.

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student in Oklahoma, died earlier this month one day after a fight in a school bathroom. The circumstances of Benedict’s tragic death are still coming into focus. But one thing’s for sure: the efforts of anti-LGBTQ lawmakers in Oklahoma, as well as influential right-wing social media accounts like Libs of TikTok, have helped create an extremely hostile environment for trans youth and LGBTQ people in the state.

And in headlines: the White House wiped out another $1.2 billion in student debt, the latest on the sputtering Republican-led Biden impeachment inquiry, and the Boeing executive in charge of 737 Max’s is out.

Show Notes:

Transcript

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0:00.0

It's Thursday, February 22nd. I'm Priyanka Ara Bindi.

0:09.1

And I'm Juanita Teller and this is what a day celebrating Beyoncé's achievement as the first black woman to

0:14.9

top the country charts by trying to get ourselves on the country charts too you know

0:18.8

yeah we might do the news in Bolo ties today hopefully that is enough to get us there.

0:23.6

Friend, I'm pretty sure it won't be enough.

0:25.6

On today's show, we dig into the death of 16-year-old non-binary

0:34.7

student, next Benedict in Oklahoma, who died earlier this month one day

0:38.3

after a school fight. Plus, President Biden canceled even more student loaned yesterday, $1.2 billion worth.

0:45.3

But first, a post-row world has thrown fertility services into question recently, potentially

0:50.6

all over the country.

0:52.2

That is because of the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling last Friday

0:55.0

that said that frozen embryos can legally be considered children

0:59.0

and that anyone who destroys them can be held liable for wrongful death.

1:03.0

Truly an unhinged ruling, but it's all because of a case involving a patient who

1:07.5

inadvertently destroyed embryos at an IVF clinic.

1:11.7

And now at least one provider said it'll stop services altogether.

1:15.8

The University of Alabama Health System became the first organization in the state to pause IVF treatment.

1:21.4

And a statement issued yesterday they they said that they, quote, must evaluate the potential

1:25.7

that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages

1:30.8

for following the standard of care for IVF treatments. And a statement from Alabama's

1:35.2

medical association yesterday cautioned that other health systems in the state will likely follow

1:39.6

suit. What kind of impact has this been having on people and families experiencing infertility or any of the other reasons that would prompt them to pursue IVF to have a child?

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