Just when you think that the State of Alabama could not get any more extreme, here they come again. I’m waiting for the Handmaid’s Tale Bill to pass the Senate. No joke, people. This is scary stuff!
The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law, a decision critics said could have sweeping implications for fertility treatment in the state.
This ruling states that a fertilized egg, which is a clump of cells, is now a person. The National Infertility Association, told The Associated Press Tuesday that the decision is a “terrifying development for the 1-in-6 people impacted by infertility” who need in-vitro fertilization. It raises questions for providers and patients, including if they can freeze future embryos created during fertility treatment or if patients could ever donate or destroy unused embryos.
I have to ask, what medically determines “life”? To declare a person alive, they must have a heartbeat or they are considered dead. An embryo does not have a heartbeat. It doesn’t have a heart. How can it be medically proven that the embryo is a person if there is no heart or heartbeat?
If the Republicans care so much about all of these clumps of cells that they want to preserve them and give them names, then let’s take a look at these frozen little cells when they do become a person. What do the Republicans think about them once they have that heartbeat?
Do the Alabama Republicans think these children deserve a quality education? According to the State Fact Sheet, in a recent budget, Republicans were demanding slashing critical funding while also advancing proposals to add over $3 trillion to deficits through tax giveaways skewed to the wealthy and big corporations. While President Biden’s plan invests an additional $11 billion to improve education while lowering everyday costs of essentials like child care for families, Alabama House Republican’s proposal to cut a broad range of critical programs by 22% would have devastating impacts on children and students from Pre-K to college.
The proposal would cut approximately $64 million in Title I funding for Alabama schools serving low-income children, impacting an estimated 450,000 students and reducing program funding to its lowest level in almost a decade.
As many as 95,000 children in Alabama with disabilities would face reduced support. It would slash Mental Health Support for Students by limiting educators’ abilities to address student mental health issues, including violence, suicide, and drug abuse prevention.
It would make College More Expensive in Alabama. The House Republicans’ proposal would not only likely eliminate Pell Grants altogether, but it would also reduce the maximum award by nearly $1,000 for the remaining students who receive Pell Grants which will make it harder for them to attend and afford college.
Do the Republicans care that these children who are born to less privileged families have healthy food to eat? According to Americans For Tax Fairness, during the Trump Administration, the Republicans cut the Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps. This took food away from 2 million children, veterans, and people with disabilities after giving a $2 trillion tax cut that mostly benefits the rich and corporations.
Do Republicans want these children to have access to healthcare? According to the Alabama Department of Health, Alabama’s infant mortality rate in 2023 was 7.6 for every 1,000 births. That puts the state in the bottom five nationally and ranks it as one of the worst places in the industrialized world to give birth. The Medicaid program suffered a $156 million cut in its budget with a majority Republican vote in the House. This also put a $228 million cut from the General Fund, including the Medicaid reduction. This hurt over one million Alabamians who qualified for the program and forced the closing of rural hospitals and nursing homes.
Seems the Republicans care about these unborn embryos but once they are born…….kid, you’re on your own!
Lynda Kirkpatrick
Marion County Democratic Party Chair
SDEC District 17 Rep Alabama Democratic Party