Alabama clinics stop IVF care after court ruling
The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos have the same legal protections as children

What happened?
At least two of Alabama's eight in vitro fertilization clinics, including the state's largest hospital, paused IVF treatments Wednesday after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos have the same legal protections as children.
Who said what?
Last week's ruling "impacts all Alabamians and will likely lead to fewer babies — children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins — as fertility options become limited," the Medical Association of the State of Alabama said Wednesday. "Embryos, to me, are babies," Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told NBC News.
The commentary
The Alabama Supreme Court's "absurd and unscientific" Bible-quoting ruling is a clear sign "this country is sliding toward theocracy," Charles Blow said at The New York Times. A fertilized blastocyst actually may be "a baby in the eye of the beholder," Monica Hesse said at The Washington Post. IVF is hard, and prospective parents need hope, but "trying to provide legal protection and personhood to fantasies" is "wholly inappropriate for the legal system."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
IVF doctors are considering petitioning the Alabama Supreme Court to reconsider, asking the state Legislature to intervene, or seeking review at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges