Shortly after meeting with women whose IVF treatments were discontinued in Alabama, Health and Human Services Secretary He said it was unclear whether it would come at a cost. solved.
“All of this is unknown,” Becerra, the first federal official on the scene in Alabama since the verdict, told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
“Because this is what happens when you strip people of rights they've had for 50 years. We now see that the impact goes far beyond just abortion,” he said. He argued in conjunction with the precedent set by the court's strike decision in Roe v. Wade two years ago.
Becerra said he believes more states may begin to restrict not only IVF, but also access to other reproductive health care, such as contraception.
“Ask anyone who has gone through the IVF process, paid tens of thousands of dollars, and now can't move forward: Is Mr. Dobbs' decision acceptable? [on Roe] Are there other consequences besides abortion? Absolutely,” Becerra said.
While top Washington Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham dispute this view as partisan hyperbole and say it's the “last thing” they want, Becerra said the new decision will have no repercussions. He said there are too many uncertainties.
“Will it impact efforts to protect women and families from access to contraception? You know, we just don't know,” he said.
In an Alabama decision issued more than a week ago, the state's high court ruled that embryos are legally “extrauterine children,” and could file civil lawsuits and lawsuits against those handling them. In some cases, this has opened the door to criminal proceedings.
State law on this issue is “broad and unqualified; it applies without restriction to all children, born and unborn,” the majority of justices wrote, also pointing to a related state constitutional amendment. ing. “It is not the role of this court to set new limits based on our own views about what is or is not prudent public policy.”
Within days, about half of the state's IVF clinics feared the possibility of wrongful death lawsuits or even criminal charges for discarding unused embryos, which is a routine part of IVF. Treatment was temporarily suspended.
But nearly 10 days of public outcry from women and families who have lost access to IVF treatments spurred action by the Republican-led Alabama Legislature on Tuesday to create protections for infertility treatments. A bill has been introduced that would essentially amend the court's decision.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (Republican) supported the bill.
“Congress is working diligently to address these issues as we speak, and will continue to do so shortly, giving Congress time to get this issue right,” Ivey told reporters Tuesday. “I expect the bill to reach my desk.”
Dr. Brett Davenport advances in vitro fertilization treatments at the North American Fertility Institute in Huntsville, Alabama. He said he has been in touch with lawmakers and expects the bill to be passed in the coming weeks.
“I understand that there is concern among other IVF patients and IVF practitioners. But that being said, as you know, more than 95 percent of our country's population I think they're on the same page,” Davenport told ABC News.
Supporters are planning a large rally at the state Capitol on Wednesday to increase pressure on lawmakers to pass the bill quickly.
Organizers expected hundreds of people, including doctors and IVF patients, could come to Montgomery to protest the state Supreme Court's decision and make their voices heard in the state Legislature.
Lochrane Chase, an IVF patient in Birmingham, Alabama, said she paused treatment just before her third successful embryo transfer and drove more than an hour to the meeting with a friend who also had embryos. I plan to participate. She is undergoing IVF.
“My hope is that there will be enough positive direction from the state legislature that my clinic and other clinics across the state can confidently move forward with all IVF procedures without fear of repercussions. “It's about becoming like that,” she said.
Chase, who is at home unpacking a box of medicine containing the multiple shots she needs to give each day, is attending the rally because she feels like lawmakers aren't thinking about her. he said.
“The women who vote regularly, who really want a family, who spend $50,000 to $100,000 a day to vote, are the demographic we want to excite ahead of the November election. , I was surprised,” Chase said.
At the federal level, Biden administration officials have yet to announce any significant policy options to protect access to IVF in Alabama, including how to keep IVF intact, abortion and reproductive rights. They argue that there are limited options for using administrative measures to protect the public.
“All I can say is, 'Expect.' We're listening right now. We're trying to hear what people are trying to say to us,” Becerra said. Ta.
“We are still trying to understand what the elements of this Supreme Court decision are,” he continued. “At the federal level, we are trying to understand what can be done to help families who have not only been deprived of their reproductive rights, but who are trying to move forward with the opportunity to obtain their reproductive rights. .The child was taken away.”
For Chase, the impact was clear.
“I'm within a 10-minute drive of my parents, cousins, work, and all of my best friends,” she said. “But if I was told there was a chance to start a family in a state other than Alabama, I would move right away.”
