US court declares: Frozen embryos are children!
A court in the US has ruled that frozen embryos should be considered "children"
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12PUNTO FOREIGN NEWS
The Supreme Court in the US state of Alabama has ruled that frozen embryos should be considered "children" and that individuals who accidentally destroy them can be held liable.
The Alabama Supreme Court's decision has caused clinics in the state to halt 'In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)' treatments.
Medical experts and groups advocating for reproductive treatments emphasize that the ruling could have negative consequences for IVF treatments in Alabama and other states. Anti-abortion groups, meanwhile, argue that frozen embryos should receive greater legal protection.
According to a BBC report, although no ban or restriction has been placed on IVF, it is said that confusion has arisen among experts regarding the methods clinics use to handle and store embryos because the embryo is now considered a "child."
Elisabeth Smith, policy director at the Center for Reproductive Rights in Alabama, stated, "Not all IVF embryos are used, nor is it possible for them to be used. Enacting a law that grants legal personhood to embryos could have disastrous consequences for the use of IVF, a science that many people rely on to build their families."
The Medical Association of the State of Alabama also issued a statement, saying, "This ruling affects all Alabamians and will likely lead to fewer babies—children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews—being born as fertility options become limited for those wanting to start a family."
WHITE HOUSE OPPOSES THE RULING
The US administration described the Alabama ruling as "the kind of chaos we expected when the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade precedent and paved the way for politicians to dictate some of the most personal decisions families can make."
Although the Alabama Supreme Court's decision is only binding within the state, experts underscore that legal initiatives or lawsuits regarding whether frozen embryos should be considered "children" or "humans" could also be seen in other states.
WHAT HAPPENED
In 2020, three couples whose embryos were accidentally lost at a fertility clinic sued the clinic.
According to the indictment, a patient entered the area where the embryos were stored, picked them up, and accidentally dropped them. The dropped embryos were lost. The couples filed a lawsuit against the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Mobile Infirmary Association based on the state's 'Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.' The aforementioned law covers fetuses in the womb but did not cover embryos obtained through the IVF method.
A lower court ruled that embryos could not be classified as persons or children and dismissed the wrongful death lawsuit, leading the plaintiffs to appeal.
ABORTION RIGHTS WERE REVOKED IN 2022
The US Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to abortion applied nationwide on June 24, 2022, and opened the door for states to enact their own laws on the matter.
Following the decision, while abortion remained legal in states where Democrats held a majority in the legislature, it was banned in states where Republicans held a majority.
Following the Supreme Court's decision, abortion was banned in Alabama at every stage of pregnancy.