The emotional burden of infertility is well documented and certainly deeply felt by those struggling to build their families. Recent cases like the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling that frozen embryos are legally children, and that those handling the embryos could be held civilly or criminally liable for their destruction, dumbfounded many in the medical and scientific assisted reproductive technology (ART) communities, while also sending shockwaves through the 1 in 6 people experiencing infertility.
Since the ruling, Alabama lawmakers moved to protect IVF treatment with bills, but with no existing legal protections for IVF, it begs the question: Where does this leave the millions of people struggling with infertility today, not just in Alabama, but across the nation?
According to a statement issued by RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, “Most Americans – 85 percent of adults – are in support of increasing access to fertility treatments. But access to IVF will only decrease if misguided regulations supersede medical best practices – this safe and essential care will become more expensive and more dangerous for those already carrying the financial, physical and emotional weight of infertility.”
According to the World Health Organization,........