IVF AND ABORTION: Overturning Roe vs Wade and Fertility Treatments

Why are IVF and abortion tightly linked?

Fertility doctor Natalie Crawford, MD, board certified OBGYN and REI, discuss the impact the overturning Row vs Wade would have on access to fertility treatments. Last week, a draft opinion from the Supreme Court indicated that abortion rights will likely be overturned. If this occurs, many states have trigger laws in place which will immediately limit abortion access. However, what many people don’t understand is that some states also have language defining life at conception or fertilization - known as “personhood bills” and these personhood bills would place limitations on access to reproductive technology, such as IVF to conceive. If an embryo has rights we will suddenly see limitations on fertilizing eggs, culturing embryos in a lab, freezing embryos, genetically testing embryos, and discarding embryos. This will make IVF less accessible, more expensive, and more dangerous. Our technology has allowed us to make major strides in the last 40 years bringing life to families who desire to be parents. Overturning Roe limits all reproductive right, including your right to have a family.

Please speak up against this. Use your voice. Write/call your politicians. Use your vote.

**At this time we do not recommend that patients with frozen embryos move them out of state. Even if Roe v Wade is overturned, that would not result in your inability to use your existing embryos or the inability to move embryos at that point should additional concerns arise. There are also risks to transporting embryos back and forth, so we recommend minimizing this as we continue to monitor the situation. Please talk to your fertility doctor in your state before taking quick action.