Infertility and IVF

There has been an extraordinary ruling in the Supreme Court of Alabama. Early embryos used in IVF should be afforded the rights of children, protected by the State’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, the court declared.

The ruling was extraordinary not only because of its clarity, but also the Biblical and theological reasoning used to make the case. As Christians, we welcome the affirmation that human rights and personhood are rooted in Biblical foundations, namely that each human life begins at conception and we are made in the image of God.

It remains to be seen whether this ruling will have an impact on the practice of IVF and embryology outside Alabama. For us as Christians, this provides a welcome opportunity to revisit the ethics of IVF.