Republicans face a dilemma over in vitro fertilization after Alabama’s state Supreme Court ruling that says frozen embryos are “children.”

While most Republicans are anti-abortion, the party is split over the ethics of IVF.

Introduced in January, the Life at Conception Act, which is similar to the Alabama law that was the basis for the state Supreme Court ruling, states that a human being is considered one “at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization or cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being.”

The act protects unborn life from conception until birth. The original act did not make an exception for IVF treatments.

The bill was backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and 125 other House Republicans.

Since the Alabama ruling, some Republicans have expressed their support for fertility treatments, including IVF and the use of birth control to prevent fertilization in the first place.

Alabama fertility clinics have paused embryo creation in fear of being liable for negligent death.

Potential parents worry about losing access to IVF treatments with the new ruling.

Right-wing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) has shown support for IVF but failed to mention how the Life at Conception Act would interfere with treatments.

“We really want the Alabama legislature to make sure that that procedure is protected for families who do struggle with having children, that helps them actually create great families, which is what our country desperately needs,” he said.

Speaker Johnson also now says he supports IVF despite his past support for laws that could ban it nationwide.

Johnson recently met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago to plot election strategy. He has frequently compared himself to Moses and invoked the Bible during speeches.

Leave a comment

Read more about: