Alabama court won't revisit frozen embryo ruling

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday declined to reconsider a controversial ruling that said frozen embryos are considered children under a state law.

Justices in a 7-2 decision without comment rejected a request to revisit the ruling that drew international attention and prompted fertility clinics to cease services earlier this year. Alabama justices in February ruled that three couples could pursue wrongful death lawsuits for their “extrauterine children” after their frozen embryos were destroyed in an accident at a storage facility.

The decision prompted a wave of public backlash as women saw fertility treatments canceled or put in jeopardy after the ruling.

Three clinics stopped IVF services because of the civil liability concerns raised by the ruling, which treated a frozen embryo the same as a child or gestating fetus under Alabama’s wrongful death law. The clinics resumed services after state lawmakers approved legislation shielding providers from civil lawsuits.