Alabama lawmakers passed legislation under urgency on Thursday to protect medical providers offering in vitro fertilisation services after coming under mounting pressure to restore fertility services.
The Alabama legislature passed the bill one day after it was introduced by 94 to 6, after a state supreme court ruling earlier in February forced hospitals and clinics to halt treatments when it classified frozen embryos as legally protected children.
“This would at least keep the clinics open and the families moving forward,” said bill sponsor Republican house member Terri Collins.
The bill will now go before the Alabama State Senate for approval.
A shock ruling from Alabama Supreme Court in mid-February that three couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a storage facility could pursue wrongful death lawsuits left it unclear how IVF providers could legally store, transport and use embryos.
Within days, almost every fertility clinic in the state had paused IVF treatment and the disposal of embryos.
On Wednesday, hundreds of IVF patients poured into the State house in Montgomery to pressure lawmakers to find a workable solution.
More to come
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