https://cases.justia.com/alabama/supreme-court/2024-sc-2022-0579.pdf?ts=1708115406
Embryos as unborn children: the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling and its possible impact on legal rulings in other states
Fertility & Sterility Reports Volume 5, Issue 2, June 2024, Pages 130-131
SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA – OCTOBER TERM, 2023-2024
On February 16, 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling, defining frozen embryos as “unborn children located outside of a biological uterus” (1). This judicial decree, enacted in response to the willful destruction of embryos at a storage facility, was to highlight that this act constituted more than mere property damage, signaling a significant legal shift. In conclusion, the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling recognizing frozen embryos as unborn children, facilitated by the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, catalyzes profound ethical dilemmas impacting patients’ personal rights, embryo moral status, and the operational dynamics for IVF practitioners and clinics.