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The Excerpt

SPECIAL | Alabama's controversial IVF ruling means that embryos are children

The Excerpt

USA TODAY

Daily News, News

4.41.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 February 2024

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The ethical and legal issues of IVF, or in vitro fertilization, are complicated. For many, IVF is more than a medical procedure; it's about the profound desire for parenthood. Each year, IVF contributes to around 100,000 births nationwide. In a recent decision, the Alabama Supreme Court described embryos as, "embryonic children...kept alive in a cryogenic nursery.” In other words, frozen embryos are children. Lindsay Heller, an IVF mom and partner at the law firm Fox Rothschild LLP in New Jersey, joins us to discuss how this decision might impact IVF patients and providers across the country.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:05.0

Join Wunderry Plus in the Wundery app.

0:08.0

Hello and

0:15.0

this is a special episode of the excerpt.

0:17.0

Today is Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, and this is a special episode of the excerpt. served.

0:26.0

For many IVF or in vitro fertilization is more than a medical procedure.

0:31.0

It's about the profound desire for parenthood.

0:33.8

Each year, IV contributes to around 100,000 births nationwide.

0:38.2

In a recent decision, the Alabama Supreme Court described embryos as, Embryonic children kept alive in a cryogenic nursery end quote in other words

0:48.4

frozen embryos are children the ethical and legal issues of IVF are, well, complicated.

0:55.0

Here to shed light on how this decision might impact IVF patients and providers across the country is

1:00.7

Lindsay Heller, an IVF mom and partner at the law firm Fox Rothschild

1:05.8

L.O. P. in New Jersey. Thanks for joining me, Lindsay. Thank you so much for having

1:10.4

me. Let's start with the ruling and then we can dive into what some of the

1:14.5

implications might be. What was the scope of the Alabama Supreme Court

1:19.2

decision? The scope is based upon wrongful death.

1:22.8

Something that many people may not know

1:24.3

is the lawsuit was initially brought

1:26.5

by patients who had undergone IVF,

1:29.9

who had embryos frozen by their IVF facility,

1:33.8

those embryos were kept in a freezer in a hospital.

1:37.5

A patient of the hospital got into the facilities area,

...

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