An Alabama hospital says it is halting in vitro fertilization treatments at the end of the year, citing “litigation concerns” in the aftermath of a state Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death.
Mobile Infirmary said in a news release it has “temporarily resumed IVF treatments at the hospital,” but “in light of litigation concerns surrounding IVF therapy, Mobile Infirmary will no longer be able to offer this service to families after December 31, 2024.”
The hospital was the focus of two lawsuits from three sets of parents who alleged a patient walked through an “unsecured doorway” and dropped and destroyed frozen embryos in 2020.
The Alabama top court issued the controversial ruling that frozen embryos are children in February – a first for the United States. It prompted three hospitals to immediately stop their IVF treatments that month, as patients, families and providers were left reeling with uncertainty over the future of IVF in the southern state.
At least two clinics resumed treatment after Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed new protections for IVF patients and providers into law in March.
The new law does not address the issue of personhood at the heart of the ruling, and experts say it’s going to take more work to fully protect fertility services in the state.
Ivey has similarly acknowledged the new law is a quick fix after the court ruling and noted “there will be more work to come” on IVF protections.
CNN has reached out to Mobile Infirmary for additional comment.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz and Isabel Rosales contributed to this report.
