Biden and Haley spar over abortion after Alabama court rules embryos are 'children'

An Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are considered children could have sweeping implications for access to in-vitro fertilization across the country — and is becoming 2024 presidential campaign fodder.

President Biden called the decision "outrageous and unacceptable" and "a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade."

Biden said in a statement that his administration "won't stop until we restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law," a key tenet of his reelection campaign.

Biden's comments came one day after Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley seemed to side with the Alabama court's decision, telling NBC News, "Embryos, to me, are babies."

"When you talk about an embryo, you are talking about, to me, that's a life. And so I do see where that's coming from when they talk about that," the former South Carolina governor said.

When asked about Haley's comments Wednesday, a campaign spokesperson pointed to a Thursday Newsmax interview.

"Be very careful how you do this because number one, you don't want to take those fertility treatments away from women. It is very important that women like me have the ability to have that blessing of a baby," Haley clarified.

"But you also want to treat those embryos with respect – whoever is holding them – and make sure that there's a clear indication of what is expected from the parents who provide it, and what's expected from the provider that holds them," she confirmed.

The Alabama ruling sparks concern from reproductive health advocates

The Alabama case involved a pair of wrongful death lawsuits brought by couples whose frozen embryos were destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic. Writing for the court majority, Justice Jay Mitchell