125 House Republicans -- including Speaker Mike Johnson -- back a 'life at conception' bill without any IVF exception
Source: Business Insider
Feb 23, 2024, 4:01 PM EST
Most House Republicans have cosponsored a bill declaring that life begins from the moment of conception, a position under increased scrutiny after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are "unborn children."
This Congress, 125 House Republicans — including Speaker Mike Johnson — have cosponsored the "Life at Conception Act," which states that the term "human being" includes "all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being."
The bill does not include any exception for in vitro fertilization (IVF), a reproductive treatment that allows mothers to fertilize several eggs outside the womb in order to increase the chances of a viable pregnancy. Several healthcare providers in Alabama have already halted IVF programs in the wake of the ruling, given that IVF treatments may include the discarding of fertilized eggs, which may now violate the state's Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.
The lack of an IVF exception is notable, given the carveout contained within a previous version of the Life at Conception Act introduced by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky in 2017. "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child, a prohibition on in vitro fertilization, or a prohibition on use of birth control or another means of preventing fertilization," reads the 2017 bill.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/house-republicans-life-at-conception-ivf-exception-2024-2
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So, perhaps it can be argued that an embryo that was conceived on US soil is a US citizen, regardless of the citizenship status of the parents. It could then become illegal to deport an undocumented mother who is pregnant with a US citizen!
