Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Experts say Amy Coney Barrett's nomination could threaten IVF. Here's why.

Experts say Amy Coney Barrett's nomination could threaten IVF. Here's why.

The judge has a history of supporting anti-choice groups that believe life begins at fertilization and seek to criminalize aspects of IVF.

If Amy Coney Barrett is seated on the Supreme Court, the implications for reproductive rights will extend far beyond birth control, Eve Feinberg, MD, told Business Insider last week.

The judge has a history of supporting anti-choice groups that promote the belief that life begins at fertilization, or "fetal personhood," and seek to criminalize aspects of in vitro fertilization.

During her confirmation hearing, Barrett has evaded questions about her views on IVF and whether she would move to overturn Roe v. Wade. When asked whether criminalizing IVF would be constitutional, she replied that she couldn't "answer questions in the abstract."

Still, Barrett's association with anti-choice groups like Right to Life Michiana - a group whose stance against discarding unused embryos created in the IVF process is considered extreme even in anti-abortion circles - is enough to raise concern among fertility experts.

"The seating of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court threatens those who seek to build a family through in-vitro fertilization," Feinberg and co-editors of the journal Fertility and Sterility wrote in a letter published last Monday.

They worry that if Barrett supports legislation that recognizes every embryo created during IVF as a legal person, performing standard procedures involving those embryos could put physicians at risk for criminal violation.

Personhood legislation could criminalize genetic testing and freezing embryos


It's unlikely that personhood legislation would result in IVF being outlawed entirely, but it would make it "incredibly difficult" for physicians to perform assisted reproductive technology to the current standard of care, said Barbara Collura, president and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

"If you are stating that an embryo is a person, then many things that occur in an IVF laboratory become extremely difficult," Collura told Business Insider.

In a typical IVF treatment, doctors will try to fertilize as many embryos as possible because not every embryo results in a live birth, Collura said. After fertilizing the embryos in a lab, the doctor will freeze them all and often order genetic testing to rule out abnormalities that could lead to pregnancy loss or stillbirth.

From there, the doctor would thaw and implant the embryos one at a time until one results in a successful pregnancy.

If the embryos have the right of legal personhood, standard procedures like genetic testing and cryopreservation, or freezing, could be called into question because there's a small chance of harm to the embryo.

Some personhood bills proposed at the state level have been written under homicide statutes, Collura said, meaning that a lab worker who inadvertently damages an embryo while unfreezing it could even be charged with manslaughter.

Discarding unused embryos would also be a crime under personhood laws


After a family is finished with IVF, they have the option of saving unused embryos for future attempts at pregnancy, donating them to science, or discarding them. Collura said some people just leave the embryos frozen if they can't make a decision.

In some situations, people may want to discard embryos that have tested positive for a genetic disease that would affect the viability of the pregnancy.

"Not every embryo leads to a live birth," Feinberg previously told Business Insider. "I think women who have embryos that are positive for a genetic disease should not be forced to transfer those embryos. And I think that in certain situations, discarding of embryos is morally acceptable."

Certain anti-choice groups, like Right to Life Michiana, equate discarding embryos to abortion.

In an interview with The Guardian, the group's executive director Jackie Appleman said: "Whether embryos are implanted in the woman and then selectively reduced or it's done in a petri dish and then discarded, you're still ending a new human life at that point and we do oppose that."

Not all abortion adversaries are against IVF


At this point, no one knows how Barrett would vote on Roe v. Wade and associated personhood bills if she's confirmed to the Supreme Court.

It's not a given that someone who supports personhood legislation would be against IVF, Collura said. She's spoken with "staunch, publicly pro-life state legislators" who, when faced with the implications of personhood for IVF, reevaluated their views.

"It just goes to show you that you can have people who are pro-life and have this pro-life record as a legislator, yet, a lot of times, they'll say personhood goes too far," Collura said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×