Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said on Wednesday that she believes an embryo is a baby following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death.
“I mean, I think embryos, to me, are babies,” Haley said during a pull-aside interview with NBC News as she described that she used artificial insemination to have her son, a different process than in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“I had artificial insemination. That’s how I had my son. So, when you look at it, one thing is to save sperm or to save eggs. But when you talk about an embryo, you are talking about, to me, that’s a life. So, I do see where that’s coming from when they talk about that,” she added.
Later on Wednesday, Haley clarified her position on the Alabama ruling and stated once more that she considers an embryo to be “an unborn baby” in an interview with CNN’s “King Charles.”
“I did not state that I supported the Alabama decision. The question posed to me was, “Do you think an embryo is a baby?” According to the definition, an embryo is regarded as an unborn child, in my opinion,” the speaker stated.
IVF and the Future of Reproductive Rights in the Wake of the Alabama Case
The Alabama case, according to Haley, should be seen as a battle for parental rights and “nothing more than that” even though the verdict raises concerns about the beginning of life.
Reproductive rights groups claim that the court’s ruling might have a chilling impact on infertility treatments and the hundreds of Alabamans who seek them out each year by bringing the topic of when life starts back into the national spotlight.
In response to the decision, the University of Alabama at Birmingham health system announced on Wednesday that it is stopping IVF therapy. Furthermore, a religious organization is already applying the Alabama decision as precedent in a Florida abortion rights lawsuit, indicating the potential effects of this finding on the abortion scene nationally in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal.
Although the historic decision does not forbid IVF, it is the first instance that a US court has recognized frozen embryos as human beings. Critics caution that the ruling may dissuade medical professionals from providing infertility treatments and may make the cost of reproductive treatments unaffordable for many couples.
When asked earlier in the day if she was worried about the potential harm that may result for those pursuing IVF therapy, Haley described it as a “very personal matter,” saying that “we need to be very respectful and sensitive about it.”
“Every woman should be aware of what she’s looking at when with her spouse. After considering that, you decide what’s best for your family,” the speaker stated.
On the campaign trail, Haley, who describes herself as “unapologetically pro-life,” has made it clear that she thinks Republicans and Democrats should agree on reproductive issues, particularly those about abortion rights, such as outlawing later abortions and pledging not to imprison women who have them.
he thinks Republicans and Democrats should agree on reproductive issues, particularly those about abortion rights, such as outlawing later abortions and pledging not to imprison women who have them.
With her abortion stance, she has tried to win over moderates. During the campaign, she made it plain that federal laws prohibiting abortion would not apply to states headed by Republicans. She has also refrained from stating which form of nationwide prohibition she would back, but in November she declared that she would sign legislation prohibiting abortions after six weeks into office if it came to her desk as governor of South Carolina.
As the governor of Palmetto State, Nikki Haley enacted legislation outlawing abortions before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Comments 2