Georgia Democrats propose bills seeking to protect access to contraception and IVF

Georgia Democrats announced they’ll introduce similar bills in both legislative chambers designed to protect access to contraception and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Wednesday morning, state Senator Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, announced her bills Senate Bill 564, titled “The Right to Contraception Act” and Senate Bill 565, titled “The Right to IVF Act.”& Concurrently, state Rep. Marvin Lim, a Democrat from Norcross and state Rep. Teri Anulewicz, a Democrat from Smyrna, has filed a bill, House Bill 1424 with the same intentions as state Senator Parent’s bill. The Democrats have filed these bills due to the Alabama Supreme Court decision on IVF. On February 16th, the Alabama Supreme Court declared that embryos created through IVF should be considered children, according to the application of Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.& With respect to the IVF process, when frozen embryos are thawed and prepared for transfer into the uterus, there is a small chance that they may be damaged or destroyed and therefore unable to be successfully transferred. Even fresh embryos could be damaged and not able to be transferred. It’s part of the risks related to IVF.& Yet, the decision by Alabama Supreme Court has now placed the onus on IVF...