in vitro fertilization

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Warnings of the impact of fertility treatments in Alabama rush in after frozen embryo ruling

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law, a decision critics said could have sweeping implications for fertility treatment in the state.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-supreme-court-from-embryos-161390f0758b04a7638e2ddea20df7ca?

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Fertility treatments frozen

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Doctors and patients are already rethinking fertility treatments after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last week that frozen embryos should receive legal protections as "unborn life." Driving the news: The University of Alabama at Birmingham paused in vitro fertilization treatments, citing "the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care," AL.com reports. And medical professionals throughout the state are questioning whether they'll need to overhaul their approach to IVF, most likely in ways that could make it riskier, more expensive and more painful for women trying to conceive. Catch up quick: Alabama's Supreme Court ruled Friday that frozen embryos are legally children, making it a crime to destroy those embryos. ? How it works: Doctors performing IVF typically try to retrieve as many eggs as possible, fertilize them and then transfer a fertilized egg back into the patient. The rest are kept frozen. It often takes more than one transfer to get pregnant, and the frozen embryos are also there if the patient decides to have more children later. "Under the current Alabama ruling, patients nor physicians nor IVF labs are going to be willing to have frozen embryos," Mamie McLean, a physician at one of Alabama's largest fertility clinics, told The Washington Post. ? What we're watching: Other conservative states are likely to follow Alabama's lead, which could create broad regional barriers to fertility treatment.

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Alabama hospital puts pause on IVF in wake of ruling saying frozen embryos are children

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s largest hospital paused in vitro fertilization treatments Wednesday as providers and patients across the state scrambled to assess the impact of a court ruling that said frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-pause-4cf5d3139e1a6cbc62bc5ad9946cc1b8?

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How an Alabama court ruling that frozen embryos are children could affect IVF The Alabama Supreme Court's ruling could potentially leave clinics vulnerable to lawsuits and restrict access to treatment. It’s also raising concerns about how the decision could affect the future of in vitro fertilization. Read more.

Why this matters: Already, the decision is impacting care. The University of Alabama Birmingham hospital has paused IVF treatments while it considers the ruling’s significance. It could also increase the cost of IVF for many families , because of things like additional storage fees and liability costs. It could also reduce the number of providers who offer the procedure, experts say. On the other hand, four states have protected access to abortion since Roe V. Wade was overturned, and others are in the process, with broader language that could ensure access to IVF.

Related coverage ➤  Alabama hospital puts pause on IVF in wake of ruling saying frozen embryos are children Warnings of the impact of fertility treatments in Alabama rush in after frozen embryo ruling Sex ed classes in some states may soon watch a fetal development video from an anti-abortion group

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Chief justice’s Christian reasoning in IVF opinion sparks alarm over church-state separation

When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, its chief justice had a higher authority in mind.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-conservative-christian-views-ruling-d9b7f720b5ef865ab35205ad36061f2d?

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Ahead of South Carolina primary, Trump says he strongly supports IVF after Alabama court ruling

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump said he would “strongly support the availability of IVF” and called on lawmakers in Alabama to preserve access to the treatment that has become a new flashpoint in the 2024 presidential election.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-ivf-abortion-alabama-republicans-8215336740a5963b57bbd970b47bb3a7?

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Alabama Court Rules Frozen Embryos Made by IVF Are “Children”

In a ruling that reads more like a theocrat’s sermon, the Alabama Supreme Court on Friday decided that frozen embryos — those created through in vitro fertilization — count as “children” under the state’s law.

https://theintercept.com/2024/02/20/ivf-embryos-alabama-children-court/?

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Trump comes out against Alabama IVF ruling as national Republicans scramble for distance

Former President Donald Trump called on Alabama lawmakers Friday to “find an immediate solution” to remedy a state Supreme Court ruling that threatened the availability of in vitro fertilization, and national Republicans running for Congress sought to distance themselves from the Alabama decision as well.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/02/23/trump-comes-out-against-alabama-ivf-ruling-as-national-republicans-scramble-for-distance/?

ps:Well this should be interesting! I wonder how long it will be before all the trumplicans will now say they are also for IVF?????

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Florida lawmaker pulls bill on wrongful death of unborn children after Alabama IVF ruling

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida bill to allow people to file wrongful death lawsuits over the death of a fetus is being shelved because of the political fallout from an Alabama Supreme Court decision that frozen embryos are legally protected children.

https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ivf-florida-government-5dd83218142757e1dbbd7e447fa37f32?

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? Axios-Ipsos: Most disagree with IVF ruling

Data: Ipsos poll. Chart: Axios Visuals Most Americans don't support treating frozen embryos as people, a new Axios-Ipsos poll finds. Why it matters: The findings suggest the Alabama Supreme Court recent decision on in vitro fertilization goes well beyond public sentiment in the post-Roe world, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim writes. Overall, 66% of the public oppose designating IVF embryos as children and holding those who destroy them legally responsible,

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Republicans Struggle to Explain Away Their Hypocrisy on IVF

After the Alabama ruling on in vitro fertilization, Republicans rushed to state their support for IVF. But their support isn’t easy to explain—particularly for them.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/republicans-struggle-to-explain-away-their-hypocrisy-on-ivf?

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Alabama governor signs IVF bill protecting providers into law Facing pressure to get in vitro fertilization services restarted in the state, Alabama’s governor signed legislation into law Wednesday shielding doctors from potential legal liability raised by a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. Read more.

Why this matters: The new law took effect immediately, protecting providers from prosecution and civil lawsuits “for the damage to or death of an embryo” during IVF services. Doctors from at least one clinic said they would resume IVF services on Thursday.   State Republicans are reckoning with a crisis they partly helped create with anti-abortion language added to the Alabama Constitution in 2018. The amendment, which was approved by 59% of voters, says it is state policy to recognize the “rights of unborn children,” a phrase that became the basis of the court’s ruling.   The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, a group representing IVF providers, says the legislation does not go far enough. Sean Tipton, a spokesperson for the organization, said this week that the legislation does not correct the fundamental problem, which is the court ruling “conflating fertilized eggs with children.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Kansas could soon make doctors ask patients why they want abortions and report the answers   IVF gave hope to patients trying to build their families. The turmoil in Alabama put that in doubt   Florida lawmaker pulls bill on wrongful death of unborn children after Alabama IVF ruling

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Jewish fertility group is helping Alabama clients undergo IVF elsewhere after state’s explosive ‘fetal personhood’ ruling

(JTA) — A Jewish organization that helps families have children says its clients now face a “worst-case scenario” after the Alabama Supreme Court classified frozen embryos as unborn children.

https://www.jta.org/2024/03/05/united-states/jewish-fertility-group-is-helping-alabama-clients-undergo-ivf-elsewhere-after-states-explosive-fetal-personhood-ruling?

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The Human Rights of Pinhead-Sized People

The Supreme Court in the American state of Alabama recently made history when it ruled that human embryos have the same moral human status as do you, dear reader of this article. That’s as astounding as it is historic! 

https://atoday.org/the-human-rights-of-pinhead-sized-people/

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Pro-Lifers Are Up Against a Real-Life Crisis

When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that fertilized embryos were “extrauterine children,” it did more than imperil the future of in vitro fertilization in Alabama and, potentially, the U.S.

https://theintercept.com/2024/04/04/republican-ivf-embryo-personhood-abortion/?

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? Data du jour: IVF rising

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

More parents in America are using in vitro fertilization to grow their families, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum writes from new Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology data. The big picture: IVF has gained popularity as hopeful parents get better access to infertility treatments and choose to have kids later in life. ? By the numbers: In 2022, 2.5% of all U.S. births were a result of IVF. The number of babies born from IVF ticked up from 89,208 in 2021 to 91,771 in 2022.

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A court ruled embryos are children. These Christian couples agree but still wrestle with IVF choices When faced with infertility, Christians who believe life begins at or around conception must wrestle with weighty questions: How do you build a family in a way that conforms with your beliefs? Is IVF an ethical option, especially if it creates more embryos than a couple can use? Read more.

Key points: The dilemma reflects the age-old friction between faith and science at the heart of the recent IVF controversies, such as in Alabama, where the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos have the legal status of children.   For many evangelicals and other Christians, IVF can be problematic, and some call for more regulation and education. The process is “inherently unnatural,” said Jason Thacker, a Christian ethicist who directs a research institute at the Southern Baptist Convention. “I’m both pro-family and pro-life,” he said. “But just because we can do something, it doesn’t mean we should.”   Even among Christians who see embryos as treasured lives, religious experts say there’s a wide spectrum of complicated views on IVF. Kelly Pelsor, a mother from Indianapolis who turned to a fertility specialist after trying to have children naturally, doesn’t want to see it threatened anywhere. Speaking of her daughter conceived via IVF, she says: “I truly believe she’s a miracle from God (...) She would not be here without IVF.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Republicans block bill to protect contraception access as Democrats make election-year push   Seeking to spotlight Republican resistance, Senate Democrats renew push for IVF rights   A comment from Trump and GOP actions in the states put contraceptive access in the 2024 spotlight

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Texas Supreme Court won't review Denton IVF case over whether embryos are people

The Texas Supreme Court declined to take up a Denton mother's appeal for justices to weigh whether embryos are legally children subject to child custody laws.

https://www.keranews.org/government/2024-06-14/texas-supreme-court-denton-ivf-divorce-case-embryos-people?

ps:of course Texas or should I say the maga people would do this!!!

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Scoop: House GOP brawls over “absurd, moronic” anti-IVF push

House Republicans are at each other's throats over a right-wing hardliner's repeated efforts to restrict funding for in vitro fertilization services.

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/27/house-gop-ivf-funding?

 

? GOP brawls over "absurd" anti-IVF push

House Republicans are at each others' throats over a right-wing hardliner's repeated efforts to restrict funding for in vitro fertilization (IVF) services.

• Most Republicans have scrambled to put their pro-IVF politics on display as Democrats have ramped up attacks on the GOP over conservative-led rollbacks in abortion rights.
• Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told Axios she and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) are introducing a House version of a Senate GOP bill that would restrict Medicaid funding to states that ban IVF.

On the other side of the GOP divide are hardline Republicans such as Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.).

? He wants to roll back federal funding for IVF in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February that chilled access to fertility services in the state.

• Rosendale and several fellow members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus wrote to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough in March raising "strong objections" to an expansion of IVF services for veterans.
• Rosendale introduced amendments to bills funding the VA and the Defense Department that would have prohibited funding for IVF — both of which were blocked from getting a floor vote.
• Most recently, Rosendale has adorned his D.C. office with anti-IVF messaging, saying it "destroys more life than Planned Parenthood."

? What we're hearing: Rosendale's anti-IVF campaign has frustrated GOP colleagues, who say he's out of step with the overwhelming majority of the party and risks handing ammunition to Democrats.

• Mace called his efforts "absurd, moronic," adding, "100% they're going to be used" by Democrats. "Already my opponent in the general election is saying I oppose IVF, but nothing could be further from the truth."

Read more

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What’s IUI? What’s IVF? A look at the fertility treatments the Walz family is talking about

J.D. Vance is attempting to make hay over a technicality involving the form of fertility treatment Tim and Gwen Walz used to build their family. In vitro fertilization has been in the news because the right wing is attacking this form of therapy, which creates embryos for implantation (often with leftovers subject to being discarded). But Tim Walz didn’t specify that he and Gwen used intrauterine insemination, clarifying the matter only later. To Vance this amounts to a lie, which is rich coming from Donald Trump’s running mate. Elisha Brown of Phoenix parent States Newsroom explains the different forms of fertility treatments.

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IVF treatments

 

Senate Republicans voted on Tuesday to block a bill that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization nationwide. Democrats brought the bill back to the Senate floor after GOP lawmakers previously blocked the measure from advancing in June. The bill seeks to make IVF treatment more affordable by mandating coverage for fertility treatments under employer-sponsored insurance and certain public insurance plans. It would also expand coverage of fertility treatments, including IVF, under US military service members and veterans' health care. Many Republicans criticized the Democrat-led legislation as an unnecessary overreach, while saying they do support IVF. The vote is part of a broader push by Senate Democrats to draw a contrast with Republicans over reproductive health care as the elections approach.

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IVF treatments

Donald Trump on Tuesday declared himself the "father of IVF," a fertility treatment that has come under threat following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. It's unclear what Trump meant when he made the comment during a Fox News town hall that was billed as focusing on women's issues and had an all-female audience. But he has repeatedly returned to the issue — talking up his support for IVF — on the campaign trail. Trump has claimed he would enact a federal policy making IVF free of charge and touted his response following the Alabama Supreme Court's controversial ruling earlier this year that frozen embryos are children. Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to use threats to IVF to paint Republicans, including Trump, as seeking to restrict access to reproductive health care.

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Trump says he protected IVF in Alabama. The Alabama Legislature moved before he did.

Former President Donald Trump Wednesday claimed credit for protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF) services in Alabama, saying the state Legislature moved to act quickly once he intervened.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/10/18/trump-says-he-protected-ivf-in-alabama-the-alabama-legislature-moved-before-he-did/?

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Woman sues fertility clinic, saying she gave birth to another patient’s baby

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Krystena Murray became pregnant after undergoing in vitro fertilization two years ago, and said she was unaware until she gave birth that the fertility clinic had made a fateful mistake.

https://apnews.com/article/ivf-lawsuit-fertility-clinic-embryo-97190518b80b0805494fc4897c477073?

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Embryo Video Captured

The first-ever real-time, 3D video of an embryo attaching itself to the wall of the uterus has been captured, scientists revealed Friday. The detailed images shed light on a critical step during the earliest days of pregnancy—issues with implantation account for an estimated 60% of miscarriages.     Studying the internal, microscopic chain of events has been nearly impossible. To replicate the process, researchers developed a synthetic replica of the uterus and recorded the interactions over 24 hours. While it was known that embryos release enzymes to soften surrounding tissue, the study found they exert considerable force to effectively burrow inside the uterine wall, growing from the inside out (see video). Researchers also suggested the process may be behind “implantation cramps,” experienced by pregnant women about six to 12 days after ovulation.     Understanding the mechanical forces involved during implantation will lead to new methods to prevent miscarriage and improve fertility treatments, including IVF (how does that work?).