University in Alabama Pauses Treatment After Embryo Ruling (2)

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has paused IVF treatments as it examines a ruling by the state’s Supreme Court which determined that frozen embryos should be considered children.

“We are saddened that this will impact our patients’ attempt to have a baby through IVF,” Savannah Koplon, a spokesperson for the university, said in an email. “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 IVF treatments.”

The university’s decision shows the chilling effect that the recent ruling could have on fertility treatment ...