Court overruled a lower state court to affirm that frozen human embryos used for in vitro fertilization would be protected under Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. 

The court’s appeal ruling was a result of a lower court decision that was brought by three couples whose frozen embryos were destroyed in 2020 when a hospital patient removed them from where they were stored in the clinic and dropped them on the floor. 

The Catholic Church has spoken out against in vitro fertilization, particularly for its treatment of embryos. “Donum Vitae,” a 1987 document by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, says in vitro fertilization is never acceptable because it removes conception from the marital act and treats a baby as a product, “violating the child’s integrity as a human being with an immortal soul from the moment of conception.” 

The document also stresses that human embryos are human beings with rights and that “their dignity and right to life must be respected from the first moment of their existence. It is immoral to produce human embryos destined to be exploited as disposable ‘biological material.’” 

In a moment reminiscent of the fallout after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, various factions have come together to demand that the Alabama state ruling be overturned. 

Donald Trump, former president and current Republican frontrunner for the 2024 election, said last weekend, “Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families.” 

The former president’s statement continued: “We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder! That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization in every state in America. 

“Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, including the vast majority of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of in vitro fertilization for couples who are trying to have a precious baby. 

“Today, I am calling on the Alabama Legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of in vitro fertilization in Alabama. The Republican Party should always be on the side of the miracle of life — and the side of mothers, fathers, and their beautiful babies. In vitro fertilization is an important part of that, and our Great Republican Party will always be with you, in your quest, for the ultimate joy in life.” 

Meanwhile, Joseph Meaney, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, told the New York Times that the marital act of sex must be performed in conception, and the embryo must not be subject to “different indignities, being poked and prodded” by scientists. 

While the Catholic faithful certainly empathize with couples struggling to begin a family, there are other methods to accomplish this desire. Adoption can be a fulfillment of family formation. 

Let us pray for the married couples trying to have a child, while following Catholic doctrine.