ATLANTA — The Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said frozen embryos are children is a decision that could have rippling effects across the country.
Georgia currently has no laws on the books that define embryos as people, but Dr. Mimi Zieman said the laws that are in place are already impacting maternal health.
“Georgia already has one of the highest -- if not the highest -- maternal mortality rate and when OB-GYNs decide this is too onerous a place to practice, all women are going to suffer," Zieman said.
The Alabama ruling has some people wondering if they should proceed if they’ve started the in vitro fertilization process; others wonder if the ruling could lead to changes in Georgia.
“Certainly, if this happened in Alabama, it could happen in any state that has been passing abortion bans and restrictions," Zieman said.
Pro-Life Lobbyist Mike Griffin said he’s hoping the ruling will make more people aware of when a life is considered a life.
“Life begins at fertilization. That’s when egg and sperm meet. You have an individual human life, you have a DNA footprint at that very moment. It's kind of like what Dr. Seuss said. You know, 'a person is a person no matter how small' it is," said Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
The ruling is concerning for parents going through process and clinics providing the care.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a large hospital in the state, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, shared it was pausing IFV treatments as health care providers look into the impacts of the ruling.
Supporters of the ruling said it’s about respecting all life.
“As we focus more on the beginning of life, the quality of life and the respect of life in the womb, it actually has a greater understanding of how much we're to respect and protect people outside of the womb too," Griffin said.