ATLANTA — Georgia’s Republican House speaker is squaring off against some powerful conservatives over in vitro fertilization. This comes after the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution to rein in in-vitro fertilization out of concerns it’s not pro-life.
In 2019, Georgia lawmakers passed the state's controversial heartbeat bill, enacted after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
This could be the next step in that controversy.
"I do believe that life does begin at fertilization," Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board said at the Capitol in March. He lobbied hard for passage of 2019’s heartbeat bill.
Now, the Southern Baptist Convention wants to rein in in vitro fertilization – and Griffin said it makes sense because many embryos don’t get to become babies.
"Are they going to make sure the embryos are preserved and used rather than discarded or killed?" Griffin asked. "It’s an education issue and a recognition of the value of innocent human life."
However, in response to the convention's decision, Republican House speaker Rep. Jon Burns (R-Newington) issued a statement on Thursday saying, “There should be no question that in vitro fertilization will remain available in Georgia.” And he promised “to enshrine those protections in law.”
Ali Henderson said the Baptist group had gotten it wrong.
"People who are going through IVF are doing it to bring life into this world," she said.
She and her husband used in vitro fertilization multiple times to eventually conceive Piper -- a now thriving 3-year-old girl.
"Just because you have a frozen embryo doesn’t mean it’s a baby," Henderson said in an interview.
Henderson said IVF was tough on both parents – but ultimately the most rewarding thing they’d done as a family. Henderson said it’s puzzling pro-life advocates are balking at in vitro fertilization.
"Everybody that starts IVF wants to bring a child into this world. It’s 100% pro-life," she said.
The state House easily passed a resolution earlier this year to support legal in vitro fertilization. Enacting a law next year to "enshrine" that will likely be less easy – especially if religious conservatives oppose it.