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Alabama’s IVF rule creates challenges for women’s health tech startups

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The controversial and questionable legal science behind the Alabama court’s decision — and the fact that Americans rely on IVF for… 8 million children were born in the United States– It sparked a backlash from the medical and scientific communities, as well as condemnation Politicians from across the political spectrum. About one in ten American women report using fertility services, According to a 2023 Pew Research Center surveywith 2% of respondents saying they used IVF, usually after less expensive fertility treatments had failed for them and their partners.

Kate Ryder, CEO of Maven, which provides digital platforms to direct users to fertility and family planning resources (among other women’s health services like cervical screenings), criticized the Alabama ruling. In a post on LinkedIn. “If you’re a fertility patient, you’re probably single-mindedly focused on building your family. It’s on your mind every day, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes — exhaust your savings, or inject yourself multiple times a day — in the hope that it will lead to a baby.” Baby. “But if you are sick in Alabama, as of last Friday, your trip has become a painful one,” Ryder wrote.

“In vitro fertilization is about creating as many healthy embryos as possible to achieve a successful pregnancy. But now your embryos cannot be destroyed, whether they are genetically viable or not, because they are considered ‘babies.’” She continued, “Alabama is the No. 1 state, and the No. 1 place in “The scientist, who makes this legal ruling, goes against every major fertility medical organization and even the Alabama State Medical Association.”

Ryder is not alone in her anger. Other tech startups, including those specializing in services such as egg freezing and artificial insemination, have been equally vocal. For example, New York-based Kindbody published a A statement appeared on its website criticizing the decision.

“For many of our patients, embryos represent the hope of realizing their dream of starting or expanding their families. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling undermines that hope by subjecting embryos to legal scrutiny and forcing patients to live with the devastating prospect of not being able to make decisions about their reproductive futures. Written by Angie Beltsos, Kindbody’s chief medical officer and chief clinical operations officer, in a scathing post. “It will restrict access to and increase the costs of essential care that many people need, and which most people do not already have access to. The Supreme Court’s decision directly contradicts scientific advances that today offer the best chance of success, and, further, it will restrict access to care for people in need.”

Technology startups that connect women to reproductive and family planning services are grappling with a changing political environment, especially in socially conservative states like Alabama, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down that law. Roe v. Wade and its impacts on access to reproductive health services such as abortion. Funding for investors in this field has also stopped. According to Pitchbook. Alabama’s IVF decision is another challenge that these startups and the patients who depend on them must confront.



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