What do you think of the Alabama Supreme Court saying that cryogenically preserved embryos are legally children?

[Superreader]

In 2020, a patient found their way into a cryogenic nursery at a fertility clinic, picking up an embryo test tube and then immediately dropping it by accident because it was a freezing temperature. The couple that owned those embryos sued for wrongful death because of this.

Alabama is one of the states that overturned Roe v. Wade and has a total abortion ban with no exceptions. Alabama has expanded their definition of a human child to that of frozen embryos and now, it is considered the death of a minor child to destroy a cryogenically frozen embryo.
The medical association of the state is very concerned with these legal consequences, as for this to take place means that these embryos will be permanently in storage long after the parents, and even grandchildren, have passed away because legally they cannot be culled.
They generally freeze embryos in the process of IVF. At one time, they’ll keep multiple embryos to have available if the couple/individual wants to make use of them in the future.
Chief justice Tom Parker was quoted in a CNN article saying: “The People of Alabama have declared the public policy of this State to be that unborn human life is sacred. . . We believe that each human being, from the moment of conception, is made in the image of God, created by Him to reflect His likeness.”

[NYCQuestions1976]

Once a sperm fertilizes an egg, it's no longer a sperm or an egg. It's a zygote, and technically and biologically, the very being stages of a new life. Now is it a viable life at this point? Of course not. You can't put a zygote on the couch and tell it to watch Netflix. Should it be protected? Obviously every instance is different, but regarding the specific example you cited in your question, the "parents" had every right to sue for wrongful death and negligence in this case, because they clearly had the intention of having children, otherwise they wouldn't have gone though the process of having their zygotes frozen for future fertilization.

[Superreader]

Yes, I believe they deserve compensation. But is it fair to now consider all of the cryogenic zygotes to be children? In this ruling, fertility specialties will not be allowed to get rid of any of them, even if the parents, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are long gone.

[NYCQuestions1976]

I'm honestly really not sure. It's beyond a pro-life/pro-choice/abortion question, because the frozen zygotes were initially saved because the parents wanted children. It's a question that's moral, legal, political, financial, medical, and philosophical all at the exact same time.

[Superreader]

Yes, it really is deserving of the media attention.

[NYCQuestions1976]

Thanks for Most Superb, GaG algorithm.

[Anonymous]

As someone who actually has such embryos in cold storage I of course agree with the court.

I know for a fact that they are real because we already have a daughter who was once among them, sitting next to her little brothers and sisters in that same vault. Indeed My wife calls them her embabies.

We were very blessed to have more than a few of them, but a lot of people who go thou IVF particular the older ones are not soo lucky. For them losing any dooms their chances of having children all together.

The concern of being unable to dispose (kill) theses embabies is a hospital management concern as it undermines their ability to charge for storage.

Although that really isn't a big concern because not only is there a large population of women who don't have any that they can be donated to by the state upon failure to pay (which is like child support), storage is not very much money.

[Superreader]

So are you going to use all of the ones that are still in storage?

[purplepoppy]

If your laws are based on religion then you have to prove the existence of god in court.

[monorprise]

What does religion have to do with the fact that the State of Alabama believes the Right to life begins at Conception?

How is that different than the fact that your State believes it begins at birth while others believe it begins far later? Why can't you leave our embabies alone?

[Superreader]

@monorprise the Supreme Court judge outright said that his religious views are the main contributor to his opinion on this case.

[monorprise]

@Superreader Not sure what your point is nor did i find that quote of the Judge's personal opinion. The laws of the State of Alabama are the issue before the court which protect human life from conception it doesn't matter where they are. The Alabama court found the law made no exception for them not being in the mother.

Which of course undermines women claiming they simply want to forcefully use them as mothers. When in fact the point is not the mother but the babies who have an equal right to life. The mother and father simply agreed to support them when they engaged in the act which created them.

The IVF clinic does not like this fact from a practical point of view in that they can't just disregard the children that are not implanted when the parents fail to support them.

There is a simple solution to this problem which the state already provides for its called orphanages and adoptions.

[NamerOfStars]

I'm starting to think that maybe there's a REASON no one involved in the abortion debate talks like an adult.

Alabama is not "one of the states that overturned Roe v. Wade"; no states did that. The federal Supreme Court did, as it's the only entity that COULD.

[Superreader]

Ok. They made abortion illegal. Can we get back on topic and not argue semantics? You know what I was saying

[normalice]

Let's just say I had already resolved to stay far away from Alabama and this in no way has inspired me to rethink that.

[Surely]

Are they willing to give child tax credits for these children? Social security numbers? And healthcare? And put them on social programs? What a can of worms 🐛

[BoopBoopBeep]

I will freeze a buncha shite if I can claim them as tax credits. Hell I got an ice tray right here gimmie the forms...

[Surely]

@BoopBoopBeep That would make abortion murder. Fetus deaths in car accidents and drug addicted mothers would face charges. Quite a can of worms to open!

[BoopBoopBeep]

@Surely
Completely disincentivized any facility to engage in IVT without a MUCH higher cost for liability insurance passed along to the clients.

[gorydetails]

Do you think the people you're discussing in your first paragraph deserved compensation for the patient's action?

[Superreader]

My personal opinion, yes absolutely but I don’t think that it should be under wrongful death. I am certain some other phrase for what happened would be more appropriate, and relate to the facility’s failure to monitor their environment and tamper with a medical facility and specimens.

[gorydetails]

Then tell me what law would be better applied.

[Superreader]

I am not a lawyer nor have even stepped foot in Alabama, but like I said, they should be suing for something related to failure to provide appropriate security to the area of a medical setting.

[Anonymous]

Alabama needs abortion the most!

[butterly248]

This is so stupid.