The role of state-of-the-art IVF care as a marker of societal development.

The article focuses on the implications of a February 2024 Alabama Supreme Court ruling that legally defines embryos created and stored via assisted reproductive technology (ART) as children under state wrongful death law, declaring life begins at conception both in vivo and in vitro. This ruling poses significant challenges to access to state-of-the-art in vitro fertilization (IVF) care, potentially hindering infertility treatment and societal progress in the USA. The article contextualizes the ruling within diverse religious perspectives on the beginning of life and contrasts it with scientific understandings of embryonic development and IVF practices, highlighting international examples where restrictive embryo protection laws have limited effective infertility care. It emphasizes the need for public and policymaker education on ART and advocates for maintaining access to advanced IVF treatments as a marker of societal development and reproductive healthcare.