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In vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a common method through which people can become pregnant when they may be unable to naturally conceive a child. As the 59th presidential election draws closer, IVF has now been brought into the spotlight, especially after the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision in early 2024 regarding the destruction of frozen embryos. Further contention in Congress has surrounded IVF, making the topic a significant 2024 presidential campaign issue.
Given its complex scientific nature, IVF is a more recent development, though its concept is nearly a century old. According to the Fertility Center of San Antonio, the process of IVF was originally described in Aldous Huxley’s classic novel Brave New World, which was published in 1932. A mere two years later, scientists Gregory Pincus and Ernest Vinzenz Enzmann published a study that promoted the scientific possibility of IVF. After other scientists made breakthrough discoveries that eventually led to the creation of IVF, the first couple underwent the IVF process in 1969, and the popularity of IVF has continued to grow since then. More people have been using IVF as a way to become pregnant. In 2022, 3,667,758 babies were born, and out of them, 91,771 were from IVF. It is important to know that the process of IVF is not simple, and one round of IVF is estimated to take between four and six weeks.
The IVF Center reports that there are five stages that couples, especially women, must undergo when using IVF. The first stage is ovarian stimulation; during this stage, a woman will take multiple medications and inject hormones to stimulate their ovaries and produce several eggs rather than a single egg. Throughout this process, the woman will also get vaginal ultrasounds to determine when the follicles are ready for the egg retrieval. Egg retrieval is the second step in the IVF process. This occurs thirty-six hours after the woman gets her final shot of medication to ensure the eggs are mature enough to finish the process. If the eggs are retrieved after thirty-six hours, there is a chance they will not survive. During the retrieval, the doctor will sedate the patient and use a transvaginal ultrasound needle to retrieve the eggs within twenty minutes. The eggs are then placed in a substance called culture medium, which is a chemical substance designed to help microorganisms continue to grow. The third step occurs hours after the egg retrieval, and it is when the sperm is added. The fourth step is when fertilization occurs, and there are two ways for this to happen; either put the sperm and egg in a petri dish and let them naturally join together or inject the sperm into each egg. The final stage is embryo transfer, which occurs two to five days after fertilization happens. The doctor will place a long, thin tube into the woman’s uterus via the cervix, and then the embryos are inserted. Additional eggs can be frozen for later use.
NPR further also reports that it is critical to remember that the fertilized eggs may not survive regardless of the IVF stage where in the process it is in and that not all embryos will successfully take root within the uterine cavity.
IVF made political headlines in early 2024 when the Alabama Supreme Court made a critical decision regarding IVF embryos. On February 16, 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under the law and the destruction of them would therefore be suable under the “Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.” This case was brought forth after three couples had undergone the IVF process, and the remaining embryos were stored in the hospital’s freezer. A separate patient had access to the embryos through an unlocked door and destroyed them in the process of picking them up. The three couples sued the hospital for this incident. While the original trial dismissed claims that the destruction of the embryos is suable under the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, the Alabama Supreme Court argued that until a person is 18, they count as a minor, which would include embryos not in a uterus.
With less than a month before the American 2024 Presidential Election draws closer, IVF has become a topic politicians have focused on. In June 2024, Democrats in the Senate worked to push for a plan called the “Right to IVF Act.” The initiative was sponsored by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ). However, Republicans blocked the act later that month. Interestingly, Republican Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Katie Britt (R-AL) had attempted to introduce a bill called the “IVF Protection Act.” Democrats blocked this bill, with Senator Murray stating the legislation was a “PR tool.” When Democrats pushed their bill once again, Republicans blocked it again in early September 2024.