In vitro fertilization has become an increasingly common way to get pregnant, especially for people with fertility problems or women with endometriosis.
Eggs are taken out of the woman and fertilized outside the body. Usually several eggs are fertilized at the same time, and many people choose to freeze fertilized eggs – so-called embryos – to be able to use later if necessary.
Embryo is equated with fetus
In Alabama, the state’s highest court ruled earlier this year that embryos should be equated with fetuses. If embryos and fetuses have the same rights, this means that embryos may not be thrown away or destroyed in any way.
Depending on legislation, doctors and patients could risk being charged with murder, or sued if they disposed of a frozen embryo.
Several IVF clinics chose to close in Alabama because of the court ruling, and were only able to reopen later when a law protecting clinics from liability in IVF treatments was voted through there.
“Everybody gets scared”
But in Missouri, another state where the law states that life begins at conception, the issue of IVF embryos has not been tried.
However, two Republican gubernatorial candidates recently said in a debate that they believe that embryos should have the same protection as fetuses, something that caused the debate to gain real momentum there.
That’s why many in Missouri worry that the future of IVF treatments may be in jeopardy.
– There is enormous uncertainty about what it means for everyone. People get scared, doctors get scared, clinics get scared and patients get scared, says Danielle Zoll Faith, who froze fertilized eggs to be able to get pregnant later.