Perspective: It’s time for hard conversations about frozen embryos

The ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court does not ban IVF. But it rightly demands that we respect human lives put on ice.

In the Alabama case, three families had frozen embryos in storage, and malfeasance by clinic staff led to thawing — and ultimately the death of the embryos. The families affected had no way to recover their losses under the current law and so they sued. While lower courts sided with the fertility clinic, the Supreme Court ruled that, for the purpose of wrongful death cases, embryos, like unborn fetuses, can be considered children, creating an avenue for those families to pursue compensation for their loss.

In the aftermath of the decision, the largest hospital in Alabama announced it will pause IVF procedures. But one Alabama doctor told The Washington Post that she expects the medical community will work with lawmakers to “carve out a middle ground that allows IVF treatments to continue,” and The New York Times reported Friday that these negotiations are already under way. There are also options that don’t involve the destruction or permanent storage of embryos, such as changes to how IFV clinics operate, and embryo adoption.

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