MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos created during fertility treatments should be considered children under state law. Justices issued the ruling Friday in a pair of wrongful death cases brought by couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic. Justices said an 1872 state law allowing parents to sue over the death of a minor child “applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.” The ruling brought a rush of warnings from groups and advocates who said it would have sweeping implications for fertility treatments in the state.
