Zurawski says that according to doctors, her case didnt qualify.
After her health deteriorated dramatically, doctors finally performed anabortion.
She is not alone in her anxiety.
Justin Metz
I started reporting this story afterAllurespoke to30 IVF patientsearlier this year about the unspoken realities of the treatment.
Several had shared concerns about how the shifting political landscape could impact laws around IVF in their respective states.
As if IVF isnt emotionally and physically challenging already.
Terrified of Florida following suit.
We have two precious PGT normal embryos on ice waiting for transfer.
Can I claim our embryos as dependents on our taxes?
The Alabama decision had immediate medical implications for anyone in the midst of the IVF process in the state.
To support IVF, you must also support abortion.
They cannot be siloed.
One social media post that went viral this summer read: The treatment for ectopic pregnancy is abortion.
The treatment for a septic uterus is abortion.
The treatment for a miscarriage that your body wont release is abortion.
If you cant get those abortions, you die.
(That bill was overturned on September 30, 2024.)
Its not surprising that states with the most restrictive abortion laws also have thehighest maternal mortality rates.
All these politicians have agendas, and things that affect my patients lives tremendously are soundbites for them.
Since it was overturned in 2022 with theDobbsdecision, activists have had to direct their rhetoric elsewhere.
IVF has seemingly become the movements new target.
The post-Dobbspoliticization of reproductive health care has already led to ongoing medical uncertainty and a widespread crisis of care.
Last year, Alabama, Alaska, and Illinois had already done the same.
If they do become law, the impact would be devastating because they affect the entirety of fertility care.
But there are several stages of embryo growth and there are always embryos that will fail to develop.
Destruction of embryos is simply part of the process of IVF.
Even in nature not all fertilized eggs become babies, and IVF will never be more efficient than nature.
Would a miscarriage be considered involuntary homicide?
What would a frozen embryo be considered?
What about an embryo that doesnt survive freezing and thawing?
Or an embryo that doesnt implant after transfer?
Even in nature not all fertilized eggs become babies, and IVF will never be more efficient than nature.
Could legislators and politicians argue that biopsying embryos to test for genetic abnormalities be interpreted as harming the embryos?
Limiting the number of eggs that can be fertilized would create major financial barriers.
Many civilized countries cover IVF, but of course civilized countries have universal health coverage too, adds Greely.
People glamorize pregnancy, but that is not the case, says Dr. Escobar.
Pregnancy and cancer care are more connected than people think.
Cancer patients of child-bearing age must often quickly consider theirfertility preservationoptions after their diagnosis, freezing eggs or embryos.
The phrasing baked into these laws about a threat to the life of the mother is also problematic.
Fertility and ob-gyn doctors and providers face their own set of roadblocks.
In the year followingDobbs,applications to ob-gyn residency programs in states that banned abortion decreased by 10%.
Dr. Yerramilli says even cancer doctors like herself are afraid to practice in states with super-restrictive abortion laws.
In this election year, women stand to lose so much more.
Greely mentions that Southern Baptists are technically against divorce too, but they have high divorce rates.
The same goes for the Roman Catholic Church, whose leadership has been vocal about its disapproval of IVF.
Much like with IVF, polls show widespread support for abortion.
At press time, there are, says Tipton, a number of states with ballot measures around abortion.
In the US, womens bodies are more regulated than guns, so this election feels existential.
Make your plan to vote atweall.vote/allure.
Read more stories about reproductive healthcare.
Now watch why this professional dancer doesn’t hide her psoriasis.
Don’t forget to follow Allure onInstagramandTikTok.