Mary Ziegler : States Push Fetal Personhood Bills Despite Outrage at Alabama IVF Ruling: Reproductive Rights in Jeopardy

By | March 20, 2024

By Trend News Line 2024-03-20 10:00:39.

Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have been making headlines with their efforts to endow embryos or fetuses with legal rights and protections. Since the start of the year, at least three states have advanced “fetal personhood” legislation, sparking controversy and debate across the country.

You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage

**Alabama Supreme Court Decision**

The recent Alabama supreme court decision ruling that frozen embryos are considered “extrauterine children” caused a wave of national outrage. This ruling led several IVF providers in the state to halt their services, prompting the state legislature to take action.

**Alabama State Response**

In response to the repercussions of the court ruling, the Alabama state legislature passed a bill to protect IVF providers’ ability to offer treatment. However, just hours after passing this bill, Republicans in the Iowa statehouse advanced a fetal personhood bill that could have far-reaching consequences.

You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?

**Iowa Fetal Personhood Bill**

The Iowa bill defines an “unborn person” as an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization to live birth. This broad definition could potentially impact IVF access in the state and lead to criminalization in a variety of circumstances. Causing the death of an unborn person intentionally could result in a life sentence, while unintentional actions could lead to felony charges.

**Fetal Personhood Legislation Across States**

Fetal personhood language has been introduced in various states, with Kentucky passing a bill to establish the right to demand child support for fetuses and Utah allowing fetuses to seek legal restitution in certain cases. The movement towards fetal personhood is gaining momentum, with potential implications for a wide range of laws and regulations.

**Implications of Fetal Personhood**

Advocates like Dana Sussman from Pregnancy Justice warn of the far-reaching implications of fetal personhood laws. The language in these bills could have unintended consequences and lead to increased criminalization of pregnant individuals, threaten IVF procedures, and impact access to contraception and abortion services.

**Roe v Wade Reversal**

With the recent overturning of Roe v Wade by the US supreme court, the fetal personhood movement is gaining traction and moving into the mainstream. The consequences of these laws are becoming more apparent, causing surprise and outrage among voters and lawmakers alike.

**Looking Ahead**

The ultimate goal for fetal personhood activists is to bring a case before the US supreme court, with the hope of establishing fetal personhood on a federal scale. By garnering support at the state level and pushing for legal recognition of embryos and fetuses, activists aim to harmonize constitutional law with other areas of the legal system.

**Final Thoughts**

As lawmakers continue to debate and pass fetal personhood legislation, the implications of these laws are becoming increasingly clear. From criminalization of pregnant individuals to threats to IVF access, the impact of fetal personhood extends far beyond the initial intent of the legislation. It remains to be seen how these laws will shape the future of reproductive rights in the United States..

– fetal personhood bills
– Alabama IVF ruling outrage.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *