Alabama IVF: Treatments paused after court ruling [Video]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. –

Additional in vitro fertilization providers in Alabama paused services Thursday, sending patients scrambling to make other plans in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling that said frozen embryos could be considered children under state law.

Doctors and patients have been grappling with shock and fear this week as they try to determine what they can and can’t do after the ruling by the all-Republican Alabama Supreme Court. Three clinics have announced a pause on services while another facility assured patients that IVF treatment could continue. State legislators also began looking for a way to protect IVF services in the state.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham system, Alabama Fertility Services and The Center for Reproductive Medicine, in conjunction with a related hospital system Infirmary Health, announced a pause on IVF treatments.

“We understand the burden this places on deserving families who want to bring babies into this world …