State Sen. Tim Melson (R-Florence), the chair of the Alabama Senate's Healthcare Committee, on Thursday discussed his plan to file legislation that would add protections for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in the state after the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that an embryo created through IVF would have the same rights as a child.
The decision led to IVF providers, such as UAB, pausing their services due to fear of liability and put the state in the crosshairs nationally.
In an appearance on "Capitol Journal," Melson, a physician, said he was "confident" his bill would fix the problem and give providers the safety to operate as they had been before the ruling.
"Science has advanced so far that we have things pop up that were never intended to be a problem or a hindrance to the profession, but this is one of them, so I'm just trying to make it where an ... in-vitro fertilization clinic can function without risk of liability or criminal acts in certain situations," Melson told host Todd Stacy.
He continued, "[T]he goal is to, yes, make it where it is not a liability or not worth the risk versus benefit of the procedure because the patients really need this procedure - the ones that have had fertility issues and want to be parents but nature didn't bless them with the simple path that a lot of people [have] and they have to go these extreme measures to have a successful pregnancy."
Melson went on to say he didn't think there was ever any intent to hinder the IVF process, pointing out how helpful it was to those who struggled with fertility.
"These sorts of things that have advanced beyond our expectations are going to have to be addressed in the future," he added.
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