Thirteen states are advancing legislation that would consider that embryos created through in vitro fertilization are people.
A national debate began last month when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through IVF are people, prompting several clinics to pause IVF treatments.
Alaska, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida are all moving forward with bills to recognize IVF embryos as human lives, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The advancement of these bills could throw a wrench in Republican plans to mitigate the fallout from Alabama’s ruling. Though not banning IVF, recognizing the embryos as people could pave the way for doctors involved in the process to be held responsible for the destruction of embryos — a frequent occurrence in IVF.
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Democrats have launched a national effort to capitalize on threats to IVF, portraying it as a natural extension of anti-abortion positions. House Democrats have already planned a blitz against Republicans over the topic, using many Republicans’ support for the Life at Conception Act to portray them as being against IVF.
Since the Alabama ruling, many prominent Republicans have come out publicly in support of IVF, including former President Donald Trump and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Nancy Mace (R-SC).
