VOA新闻杂志2024--US State Court Rules Embryos Can Be Considered Children

US State Court Rules Embryos² Can Be Considered Children

The Supreme³ Court of Alabama has ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law.

The ruling immediately influenced the way fertility treatment services operate in the southeastern U.S. state. On Wednesday, the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital said it paused all fertility treatments while it considers the ruling's significance.

The court decision involved two wrongful death cases brought by three couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a fertility center.

In their decision, the justices noted⁴ recent and longstanding parts of the Alabama Constitution. The justices ruled that an 1872 state law permitting parents to bring legal action over the death of a minor⁵ child "applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location."

"Unborn children are ‘children' ... without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other...characteristics," Justice Jay Mitchell wrote. The high court released the ruling on February 16.

Mitchell said the court had ruled earlier that fetuses⁶ killed while a woman is pregnant are covered under Alabama's Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. Nothing excludes "extrauterine children from the Act's coverage," he wrote.

The ruling is likely to influence fertility treatments and the activity of freezing of embryos, which are fertilized⁷ eggs. A court opinion in Virginia last year said that frozen embryos can be considered property.

Barbara Collura is chief of RESOLVE: The National Infertility⁸ Association, a non-profit group based in Virginia. Collura told the Associated Press that the ruling raises questions for "in vitro fertilization," or IVF, the method of fertilizing⁹ eggs in a laboratory.

She said the "ruling is stating that a fertilized egg, which is a clump¹⁰ of cells, is now a person. It really puts into question, the practice of IVF." The group called the Alabama high court's decision "terrifying" for people affected¹¹ by infertility.

She said the ruling also raises questions for providers of IVF services and for patients. It is unclear whether they can freeze embryos created during fertility treatment or if patients could ever donate or destroy unused embryos.

Sean Tipton is a spokesman with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. He said at least one Alabama fertility center was told to stop IVF treatments by the hospital overseeing it since the decision.

Dr. Paula Amato is president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Washington D.C. She said: "No health care provider will be willing to provide treatments if those treatments may lead to civil or criminal charges."

The couples in the Alabama case had undergone IVF treatments that led to the creation of several embryos. Some of the embryos were implanted and resulted in healthy births. The couples paid to keep the other embryos frozen in a storage center at the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center. A patient in 2020 entered the area and removed several embryos, dropping them on the floor and "killing¹³ them," the ruling said.

The justices then ruled that couple's wrongful death legal case could go forward. The clinic and hospital that are defendants¹⁴ in the case could ask the court to reconsider its decision.

One group that opposes abortion¹⁵, the non-profit Live Action, supported the decision. "Each person, from the tiniest embryo¹ to an elder nearing the end of his life...deserves and is guaranteed legal protection," said President Lila Rose in a statement.

Justice Greg Cook wrote the only full dissent¹⁶ to the majority opinion. He said the 1872 law did not define "minor child" and the meaning of the term was being extended to cover frozen embryos.

He added the ruling "almost certainly ends the creation of frozen embryos through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Alabama."

The Alabama Supreme Court decision partly depended on language added to the Alabama Constitution in 2018. It states it is the policy of the "state to ensure the protection of the rights of the unborn child."

In Alabama, supreme court justices are elected officials who serve six-year terms. Currently, all are members of the Republican Party.

Words in This Story

couple — n. two people linked by a relationship or marriage

apply — v. to cover under law

characteristic — n. a quality that makes something different from something else

extrauterine — adj. outside of a woman's womb and body

implant¹² –v. to put into the womb by medical operation

dissent — n. an opinion in disagreement to the majority opinion in a court which can serve other legal cases and future legal findings

1 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

2 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

6 fetuses   

n.胎，胎儿( fetus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• DNA was extracted from fetuses at mid-gestation, about 10 days past conception. DNA从受孕大约10天后的中期妊娠胚胎中提取。 来自互联网
• Brucellosis is a disease that causes fetuses to abort in cattle. 普鲁士菌病是一种可以导致牲畜胎儿夭折的疾病。 来自互联网

7 Fertilized   

v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of psychology has recently been widely cross-fertilized by new discoveries in genetics. 心理学研究最近从遗传学的新发现中受益匪浅。
• Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar. 花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。

8 infertility   

n.不肥沃，不毛；不育

参考例句：

• It is the Geneva, Switzerland-based Biotech Company's second recombinant infertility drug. 它是瑞士生物技术公司在日内瓦的公司生产的第二种重组治疗不孕症的药。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术制药疫苗
• Endometritis is a cause of infertility. 子宫内膜炎是不育的原子。 来自辞典例句

9 fertilizing   

v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Sometimes the preliminary step must be taken of reducing weed population before fertilizing. 有时候，在施肥之前，必须采取减少杂草密度的预备性步骤。 来自辞典例句
• The self fertilizing garden can also be planted in raised beds. 自我施肥的菜园也可以在苗圃床中种植。 来自互联网

10 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。

13 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

14 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

15 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

16 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。