Alabama’s Supreme Court Ruling: IVF, Fetal Personhood, and a Ripple Effect

rePROs Fight Back

In a recent decision, the Alabama Supreme Court declared frozen embryos the same status as people. The decision, which is not grounded in law, references theology and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case as a citation. Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Rewire News Group and cohost of Boom! Lawyered, sits down to talk with us about the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling, in vitro fertilization, and the concept of fetal personhood.

This ruling stems from a legal situation in which an in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic worker dropped some embryo dishes, accidentally destroying them. This court case ruling has effectively shut down IVF therapy across the state, which will undoubtedly cause a ripple effect and disproportionately impact those who depend upon IVF for family planning. This ruling may also have implications for contraception—if life, according to Alabama, truly “begins at conception,” then IUDs, which purposefully interferes with implantation, may be at risk.

Another upcoming Supreme Court case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, will prove threatening to medication abortion and telehealth generally. You can learn more here.

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