Alabama lawmakers rush to get IVF services restarted

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers rushed to protect in vitro fertilization services Thursday after fertility clinics shut down in the wake of a state court ruling that frozen embryos are children under the state wrongful death law.

Facing public pressure to get IVF services resumed in the state, lawmakers advanced legislation that would extend lawsuit protections to clinics. Legislators are hoping to get the measures approved by early next week while they weigh whether additional action is needed.

“This would at least keep the clinics open and the families moving forward,” said bill sponsor Rep. Terri Collins, a Republican. The House of Representatives voted 94-6 for the bill that now goes to the Alabama Senate.

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled in mid-February that three couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a storage facility could pursue wrongful death lawsuits for their “extrauterine children.” The ruling, treating an embryo the same as a child or gestating fetus under the wrongful death statute, raised concerns about civil liabilities for clinics. Three major providers announced a pause on IVF services.

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