Mariah Cain, Staff Writer
The University of Alabama at Birmingham health system is pausing their in vitro fertilization treatment following that state’s Supreme Court ruling on Friday that frozen embryos are children regardless if they are within or out of a uterus. “We are saddened that this will impact our patients’ attempt to have a baby through IVF, but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for following the standard of care for IVF treatments,” wrote university spokesperson, Hannah Echols, in a statement. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is the largest hospital in the state.
“The People of Alabama have declared the public policy of this State to be that unborn human life is sacred,” wrote Chief Justice Tom Parker in the Court’s conclusion. “We believe that each human being, from the moment of conception, is made in the image of God, created by Him to reflect His likeness.”
