The problem came into view last month, after a bombshell decision from the Alabama supreme court temporarily halted in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The ruling, which described frozen embryos as "extrauterine children", unravelled when the Republicancontrolled legislature passed shortterm protections for IVF providers.
Under a new law signed last week by Republican governor Kay Ivey, IVF providers are temporarily protected from civil litigation and criminal prosecution in the event of "damage or death of an embryo" during treatment.
"In our state, we work to foster a culture of life," the governor said. "This includes some couples hoping and praying to be parents who utilise IVF."
The new law does not refute the Alabama supreme court's controversial position that an embryo, stored for the purpose of IVF, is a person. Nor does it permanently shield IVF providers from legal penalties. Despite its limited scope, the Republican-backed law took a step to align the GOP with US public consensus, which overwhelmingly supports IVF. It also invoked the wrath of rightwing Christian activists.
"Tragically, the governor of Alabama has given the IVF industry a licence to kill," said Lila Rose, president of Live Action, a non-profit that opposes abortion.
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