We are saddened, sickened, hurt, and angry about the decision made by the Alabama Supreme Court to label embryos as children.  There has never been any question in our personal or professional views that every person has a choice over their body, their health, and how and when they grow their family.  When the disastrous Dobbs decision came down, we were angry and we were worried about the effect this would have on other aspects of our lives, including IVF.

With this decision putting IVF in danger for so many families, we need to speak out.  In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is a needed healthcare procedure and process that so many families experiencing infertility rely on, as well as cancer patients and same-sex couples where IVF is often their only option.  Restricting families’ ability to access healthcare is against everything we stand for as an organization.

On a more personal level, we are the proud parents of three children—Sweet Pea, Colette, and Elliott—all three of whom were our children as a product of IVF.   We are grateful every day for their presence in our lives, for them as our children, and for the medical technology and know-how that helped us create these beautiful, amazing children.
  We also have about a dozen embryos still frozen.  While we have decided we are not having any more kids, we have yet to decide what to do with our embryos.  Disposing of them or donating them would be a loss that we would grieve, but it would come nowhere close to the loss of Sweet Pea or Colette.  While we have been happy to continue to keep them frozen until such a time when it feels right and we feel ready to make the best decision for our family, we now worry about how long we will be afforded the right to continue to store them.

We also know that we are far from the only ones that are experiencing this worry, fear, and panic and we extend the very best of wishes to families in Alabama, and to families living in states that are likely to move for similar rulings and legislation.  We will support families in whatever choices they make and will continue to share our story, to advocate for better, more guaranteed coverage, and to normalize and publicize just how vital IVF is for so may families.  If you or anyone else you know is looking for resources, please check out the living document that our friends at Frame Fertility have created and are regularly updating.

We strongly oppose any rulings or laws that restrict access to any healthcare and family planning options they may need.  We call on all legislators, both state by state as well as on a federal level, to provide protection for vital healthcare such as IVF.

In special consideration of how important this issue is, we have created an IVF line of merchandise and proceeds from purchases made will be divided between our financial assistance program to families and Resolve, who is actively advocating to protect access to infertility access in Alabama and throughout the country.