Arizona's SB 1393 says it's about eliminating legal confusions when divorcing couples can't agree on what to do with frozen embryos, but don't be fooled. This law, backed by Republicans and supported by the Family Research Council, could set a dangerous legal precedent by implying that embryos should be treated almost like children in custody disputes.
This bill would require courts to award embryos to the person who will allow the embryos to "develop to birth," language that makes it sound an awful lot like people think embryos are babies. (They aren't: 70 percent of embryos fail to develop, and there's a lot of gestation involved between a cluster of cells and a baby in the delivery room.)
People who don't want genetic children don't get a say: Instead, they're required to submit medical records kept on file for 99 years. If couples signed a contract at the time they started fertility treatment, that doesn't get considered either.
This bill isn't about coming up with a solution to a heartbreaking and vexing problem: We have courts for that, and most cases where people can't agree on what to do with embryos are eventually resolved in a way that works for everyone. Instead, it's a foot in the door of the conversation about "personhood."
Tell Arizona legislators to vote "no" on SB 1393: If they're concerned about these kinds of legal disputes, they should be encouraging fertility clinics to engage in conversation with patients and develop mutually agreeable contracts before starting treatment.
Photo: CNBP
