Alabama’s Pro-Life Decision, In Vitro Fertilization and Trump

The Alabama Supreme Court issued a remarkable decision one week ago. It ruled that the embyros created in the course of in vitro fertilization (IVF) “treatments” represent human life. The justices who wrote the decision explicitly invoked the premise that God grants human life intrinsic value. Check out the details here.

In the wake of this decision, three institutions that provide IVF services in Alabama announced they were suspending this type of service.

In vitro fertilization represents an ethical hornet’s nest. While infertile couples are often desperate to have children, and experience intense emotional anguish over their respective predicaments, IVF is very problematic. Why? Often many human embryos are created for each one that is fully developed and “utilized”. The remaining embryos are ultimately at risk of being thrown out with the trash. Many couples participating in these “treatments” are not fully appreciative of the ethical dimensions.

But each embryo represents a human life at the earliest stages of development. He or she is a tiny human person. That is often what is being thrown out with the trash with IVF.

Accordingly, the premises that the Alabama Supreme Court ruled as it did– and that several institutions quickly began to back away from this type of service– are major pro-life victories. New ground is being tread.

But what did Trump do? Today, he called upon the Alabama state legislature to make IVF explicitly legal. Readers might recall that he previously has opposed the 6 week heartbeat abortion bills enacted by various states.

Trump is waffling on the pro-life issue. That is disappointing, although not unexpected. On the other hand, Trump deserves a lot of credit for building a US Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade.

I hope Republicans in Alabama stand their ground.