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Hi Benjamin,
Human embryos are human beings. They deserve our protection. This is a message that needs to be heard loud and clear across America right now.
You may have heard that the Alabama Supreme Court affirmed that a human embryo can be considered an “unborn child” under Alabama state law. The decision follows a wrongful death lawsuit brought by three families whose embryos were accidentally destroyed at an Alabama in vitro fertilization (IVF) facility. Contrary to the public narrative, the decision did not ban IVF, but rather, gave embryos standing in Alabama courts.
In response to this news, many people have rushed to safeguard IVF without any consideration for the embryo.
We certainly recognize the deep pain that comes with the challenge of infertility. Just like me, I’m sure you know friends who are facing that challenge as we speak. We respect the dignity of every person created through IVF.
We also know that embryos must be treated with dignity. An early pioneer of in vitro fertilization, Dr. Landrum B. Shettles, said: “The zygote is human life… there is one fact that no one can deny; human beings begin at conception.”
But too often in our country, IVF facilities tragically discard human embryos. In addition, too many embryos are created at one time, leading to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of embryos frozen in facilities across America.
Thankfully, for decades, Louisiana law has been clear that an embryo created through IVF cannot be intentionally destroyed. In fact, we appear to be the only state that expressly protects the embryo created through IVF in law. We have been on the phone constantly over the past two weeks sharing the value of our law with those in other states and on Capitol Hill. Our law may not be perfect, but it is far ahead of most other states.
We encourage the medical profession, and those practicing IVF, to ensure ethical safeguards are in place to respect and protect human embryos. They can also give frozen embryos a chance at life through embryo adoption. Human life is always worth the effort!
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