Alabama lawmakers pass IVF immunity legislation

The Alabama State Legislature passed a bill Wednesday night granting civil and criminal immunity for in vitro fertilization service providers and receivers.

Republican Governor Kay Iveysigned the bill into law within an hour of it passing the Alabama Senate.

The legislation is designed to allow patients and clinics to immediately restart IVF treatments in Alabama, without fear of legal repercussions if embryos are damaged or destroyed during the medical procedure or related services like embryo storage and shipment.

Many clinics paused IVF services last month after the procedure was thrown into uncertain legal territory by the state Supreme Court's ruling that frozen embryos are "children" with a constitutional right to life.

IVF clinics routinely discard unviable and leftover embryos, a practice which could have led to charges of involuntary manslaughter or homicide under the new legal precedent.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, one of the largest IVF provider in the state, released a statement that the the law "provides some protections and will therefore allow UAB to restart in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments."

Another IVF provider told NPR earlier in the day they had already scheduled patients for embryo transfers on Thursday in anticipation of the immunity law's enactment.

Public outrage over court ruling put pressure on lawmakers

State legislators moved quickly to pass a bill that would allow IVF treatments to resume after intense criticism and outcry from patients, parents, and medical professionals.

"They're hearing us loud and clear that this affects Alabama families," says Corinn O'Brien, with the Fight for Alabama Families Coalition. She's one of hundreds of advocates who have been lobbying