LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Weeks after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through invitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children, one Kentucky lawmaker wants to make sure that doesn't happen here.
At the heart of the issue is reproductive rights -- specifically whether or not couples and IVF clinics should worry about legal repercussions when using the technology to conceive children. That's why one Kentucky senator from Louisville is trying to gain support for a bill that would protect couples' rights to use IVF to start a family.
The landscape of IVF has seen a surge in advancements since it was first introduced nearly four decades ago.
This practice has given women who may not otherwise have been able to conceive the ability to have a family. It is estimated that nearly 18 million children have been conceived through IVF.
Now the ruling from the Alabama Supreme court that states embryos created through the the IVF process should be considered children threatens to halt its progress.
So Kentucky Senator Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, has introduced SB 301, a bill designed to prevent IVF providers from being charged with a crime for providing fertility services.
She said she's trying to stop what happened in Alabama from happening in Kentucky.
"So this bill just clarifies that as long as providers are meeting the standard of care, Kentuckians can continue to take advantage of them," Armstrong said.
Dr. Robert Hunter is the founder of the Kentucky Fertility Institute -- the largest IVF provider in the state. He said Kentucky is doubly impacted by the Alabama ruling.
"As an Alabama native, it literally hits very close to home. And, you know, my family and my friends are dependent on the fertility centers for their own family building that are now closed, and so it really hurt in a lot of ways," Hunter said.
Armstrong said she has a personal interest in the issue.
"I know so many families who grown their families through IVF and seen the ways it has brought so much joy to welcome a child through IVF services," she said. "It's so important to so many families and so I want to make sure that these families can continue to have this option."
Hunter said his practice helps to create life.
"It is a painful irony seeing the pro life caucus at odds with IVF," Hunter said. " We build families for a living."
Armstrong said she has not had anyone oppose the measure, but she is open to feedback
"So far I've not heard from anyone in opposition," she said. "I'm sure that I will and I welcome those conversations."
Wednesday was the last day for bills to be introduced, and Armstrong hopes that her bill will continue to gain momentum and draw support.
"Everyone deserves the right to continue to grow their family if they want to," Armstrong said.
Hunter agreed, saying: "Your right to have a family shouldn't depend on your zip code."
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