London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Experts say Amy Coney Barrett's nomination could threaten IVF. Here's why.

Experts say Amy Coney Barrett's nomination could threaten IVF. Here's why.

The judge has a history of supporting anti-choice groups that believe life begins at fertilization and seek to criminalize aspects of IVF.

If Amy Coney Barrett is seated on the Supreme Court, the implications for reproductive rights will extend far beyond birth control, Eve Feinberg, MD, told Business Insider last week.

The judge has a history of supporting anti-choice groups that promote the belief that life begins at fertilization, or "fetal personhood," and seek to criminalize aspects of in vitro fertilization.

During her confirmation hearing, Barrett has evaded questions about her views on IVF and whether she would move to overturn Roe v. Wade. When asked whether criminalizing IVF would be constitutional, she replied that she couldn't "answer questions in the abstract."

Still, Barrett's association with anti-choice groups like Right to Life Michiana - a group whose stance against discarding unused embryos created in the IVF process is considered extreme even in anti-abortion circles - is enough to raise concern among fertility experts.

"The seating of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court threatens those who seek to build a family through in-vitro fertilization," Feinberg and co-editors of the journal Fertility and Sterility wrote in a letter published last Monday.

They worry that if Barrett supports legislation that recognizes every embryo created during IVF as a legal person, performing standard procedures involving those embryos could put physicians at risk for criminal violation.

Personhood legislation could criminalize genetic testing and freezing embryos


It's unlikely that personhood legislation would result in IVF being outlawed entirely, but it would make it "incredibly difficult" for physicians to perform assisted reproductive technology to the current standard of care, said Barbara Collura, president and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

"If you are stating that an embryo is a person, then many things that occur in an IVF laboratory become extremely difficult," Collura told Business Insider.

In a typical IVF treatment, doctors will try to fertilize as many embryos as possible because not every embryo results in a live birth, Collura said. After fertilizing the embryos in a lab, the doctor will freeze them all and often order genetic testing to rule out abnormalities that could lead to pregnancy loss or stillbirth.

From there, the doctor would thaw and implant the embryos one at a time until one results in a successful pregnancy.

If the embryos have the right of legal personhood, standard procedures like genetic testing and cryopreservation, or freezing, could be called into question because there's a small chance of harm to the embryo.

Some personhood bills proposed at the state level have been written under homicide statutes, Collura said, meaning that a lab worker who inadvertently damages an embryo while unfreezing it could even be charged with manslaughter.

Discarding unused embryos would also be a crime under personhood laws


After a family is finished with IVF, they have the option of saving unused embryos for future attempts at pregnancy, donating them to science, or discarding them. Collura said some people just leave the embryos frozen if they can't make a decision.

In some situations, people may want to discard embryos that have tested positive for a genetic disease that would affect the viability of the pregnancy.

"Not every embryo leads to a live birth," Feinberg previously told Business Insider. "I think women who have embryos that are positive for a genetic disease should not be forced to transfer those embryos. And I think that in certain situations, discarding of embryos is morally acceptable."

Certain anti-choice groups, like Right to Life Michiana, equate discarding embryos to abortion.

In an interview with The Guardian, the group's executive director Jackie Appleman said: "Whether embryos are implanted in the woman and then selectively reduced or it's done in a petri dish and then discarded, you're still ending a new human life at that point and we do oppose that."

Not all abortion adversaries are against IVF


At this point, no one knows how Barrett would vote on Roe v. Wade and associated personhood bills if she's confirmed to the Supreme Court.

It's not a given that someone who supports personhood legislation would be against IVF, Collura said. She's spoken with "staunch, publicly pro-life state legislators" who, when faced with the implications of personhood for IVF, reevaluated their views.

"It just goes to show you that you can have people who are pro-life and have this pro-life record as a legislator, yet, a lot of times, they'll say personhood goes too far," Collura said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×