A court in the US state of Alabama ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children. “Unborn human life is sacred,” the judge said. In Alabama, abortions are almost completely banned.
Due to the new decision that frozen embryos should also be considered children, several fertility clinics have already announced that they will no longer perform in vitro fertilization on people who want to have children. This is a technique that allows eggs to be fertilized by sperm outside the woman’s body. The process is carried out in a test tube, after which the fertilized embryo is implanted into the uterus.
Patient accidentally dropped embryos
The background to the court’s ruling is a case in which three couples sued a hospital because their frozen embryos were accidentally dropped and destroyed by a patient. The basis is a law from 1872. A lower court had previously decided that frozen embryos could not be considered ‘persons’ or ‘children’. The highest court overturned the verdict by seven votes to two. The 150-year-old law applies to ‘all children, without disability’ – ‘born and unborn’.
Biden: “Scandalous and unacceptable”
US President Joe Biden on Thursday called the verdict ‘outrageous and unacceptable’. It was an interference in women’s family planning. Vice President Kamela Harris added that it is ironic to, on the one hand, deprive women of the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and, on the other, deny them the opportunity to achieve a desired pregnancy through artificial insemination.
The right to abortion was overturned by the Supreme Court a year and a half ago. In Alabama, abortions are only allowed if there is a serious health risk to the expectant mother. However, rape and incest are no exception: doctors who perform abortions can be punished with up to 99 years in prison. Abortion is also banned or at least severely restricted in about twenty other US states.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
