Alabama Governor Signs, IVF Protection Bill .<br />On March 6, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed <br />legislation aimed at protecting in vitro fertilization <br />patients and providers from legal liability.<br />CNN reports that some clinics <br />are ready to lift a hold on certain <br />IVF services as early as this week. .<br />The Alabama bill comes after an <br />unprecedented state Supreme Court <br />ruling cast the future of IVF care into doubt.<br />The Supreme Court case reportedly <br />stemmed from the accidental destruction <br />of frozen embryos at a fertility clinic.<br />The state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos <br />are human beings, meaning that those who destroy <br />them could be held liable for wrongful death.<br />The latest bill signed into law by the governor <br />aims to provide both civil and criminal <br />immunity to providers and patients in the case <br />of embryos being damaged or destroyed.<br />However, the fertility clinics say that the new law <br />doesn't address the core issue and fails to provide<br />the legal protection necessary to resume care.<br />The law does not nullify <br />the Supreme Court’s analysis <br />that says the law ought to <br />treat embryos just like people, Katherine Kraschel, assistant professor at <br />Northeastern University School of Law, via CNN.<br />CNN reports that experts have warned that <br />the latest bill could also insulate providers <br />from standard medical malpractice claims.<br />The governor stressed that the new law is meant to be <br />a "short-term measure" and reassured that "there will <br />be more work to come" on ensuring IVF protections.
