season dasha burns has that part of the story for us >> reporter: tonight, the fallout from the alabama supreme court decision extending to politics, with some republicans attempting to walk a fine line on reproductive rights. on wednesday, nikki haley asked about the alabama decision by nbc news' ali vitali >> the supreme court there said embryos created through ivf are considered children and are offered those same protections. do you agree >> i mean, i think -- i mean, embryos, to me, are babies >> reporter: later appearing to walk back those comments. >> i guess my question is, you then disagree with the alabama supreme court, right >> yeah, but i think that the court was doing it based on the law. we don't want fertility treatments to shut down. >> reporter: reproductive rights have become a thorny issue for republicans since the fall of roe v. wade. with the vast majority of americans supporting access to ivf, a survey from republican stalwart kellyanne conway's firm showed 78% support, even among those who identify as pro-life advocates today at cpac, an annual gathering of conservatives, wome

the alabama supreme court said it we believe in the state of alabama that unborn life is sacred, we need to provide protectios not just to any unborn children but to the tiny -- they are tiny clusters of a few hundred cells at most. i want to say one thing, which is i think this effort to go after ivf has been in the works for a long time among some particularly extreme segments of the anti-abortion movement. i don't think i agree with the statement from the biden campaign that this was only enabled by donald trump's supreme court nominees. alabama, for better or worse, would have been able to achieve this, i think, crazy, unnecessary and cruel result even without the dobbs ruling. >> the other issue is, ruth, we are expecting a decision from this court, from the high court, on a pill used for abortions in this country. >> this court told us it was getting out of the abortion business. ha, ha, ha. not going anywhere. we will see any number of cases brought back to the court. the court told us that we were going to leave these issues up to the states. not really. we now see talk about don

thing to let people know, as americans all across the country are deeply alarmed, the supreme court's ruling was alabamatates supreme court, so these matters are confined to alabama. they are deeply troubling and alarming. some people may live in another state but have had their embryos cryo preserved in alabama who would be deeply conserved and after this particular ruling. it's a ruling that is deeply jarring. the supreme court in its dobbs decision, which dismantled roe, there were justices who said that they should never or that it would not reach other areas of reproductive rights. well, here we are. we see that it has affected ivf. you are absolutely right. there are republicans scrambling now because they see that this is a bridge too far. for those that have been antiabortion, they've also been pro natalist. if you really care about people being able to have families, assisted reproductive technologies, ivf has been one of the ways to do that. about 20% of american couples are infertile. ivf has helped them. it has also helped people who are older parents be able to conceive. it has also helped

stephanie: william, this issue made its way to alabama's supreme court after three families sued whenzen embryos were taken from a clinic and then accidentally destroyed. they sued under the state's wrongful death of a child act. alabama's high court asserted the law applies to all children, born and unborn, including, to the shock of many, frozen embryos. today, the university of alabama-birmingham health system said it is pausing ivf procedures because of a fear of prosecution. for more i'm joined by mary ziegler, a legal historian and expert on reproduction and health care. mary, thank you as always for being with the newshour. about 2% of all babies born in this country are conceived through assisted reproductive technology. what are the concerns about how this decision will affect reproductive rights and options? mary: think the decision casts a shadow on a lot of options that usually are available through ivf. for example, if people have extra embryos, they can no longer be destroyed, they can no longer be donated for research in alabama. it's not even clear what the legality of

. >> reporter: many of these people left in agonizing limbo, blindsided after the alabama supreme courtd the country, ruling that frozen embryos created during ivf are considered children. >> we call on the state of alabama to provide immediate, complete, and permanent access to ivf care for the women and families of alabama. >> it's one thing to have this pro-life/pro-choice discussion. it's another to deal with ivf. all we want to do is create life. >> reporter: the threats of potential wrongful death lawsuits keeping three main fertility clinics in the state on pause. >> we wanted protection for patients and clinics. we wanted full access and permanent access to ivf care in alabama. the decision doesn't make ivf illegal in any way. but it makes it very legally risky to provide ivf services because there's a possibility of the destruction of embryos any time you participate in ivf. >> reporter: this rally outside the state capitol, intended to push alabama lawmakers to find a solution. with hundreds of thousands of americans seeking ivf every year, what happens here could create a rip

>> it certainly is, for now, unless the legislature acts and even then, the alabama supreme court hasthat it will not allow ivf to go on as currently practiced in accordance with the standards, even if the legislature steps in and attempts to legalize it. these hospitals and clinics, and shipping services that have ended all kind of business or transfers, or practice within state of alabama, they are, sadly, acting quite rationally. under alabama law, embryos are now the equivalent of children. that means that the destruction of embryos could potentially be homicide which means that the way that ivf works, the fundamental system of in vitro fertilization could be a criminal act and is at a minimum potentially the equivalent of killing a child that can subject cleans clinics to millions in damages. >> you know, mark, you tweeted the other day that this ruling is a direct result of dobbs. some of us have warned that because of dobbs, abortion, medication, mifepristone, was going to be on the chopping block. look at what is happening right now. now we see ivf, contraception is probably a

so that's where questions were around his position on ivf, especially on the back of the alabama supreme court's decision. i want to let you look at the statement that came out in the last few moments quote, under my leadership the republican party will always support the creation of strong thriving, healthy families. we want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder. that includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like ivf in every state of american. like the overwhelming americans, conservative christians and pro life americans, i support the availability of ivf for couples trying to have a precious baby. today i'm calling on the alabama legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of ivf in alabama. the republican party should be on the side of miracle of life and on the side of mothers and

alabama supreme court ruling literally cites the dobbs decision, by my count, 15 times. >> the alabamaourt cited dobbs repeatedly for the proposition that embryos are human beings with equal protection under the law it just could not have happened if trump had not appointed the three justices who led the way in overturning roe v wade. >> seth: countdown to trump immediately backing away from the thing he just bragged about. there's a good chance if he's asked about ivf, he's going to pull a homer simpson meme. [ laughter ] so the conservative alabama supreme court repeatedly cited the dobbs decision overturning roe v wade in its own decision declaring that all embryos are children and yet there's some republicans and right-wing pundits claiming that actually this decision has nothing to do with dobbs and republicans have no intention of banning ivf. >> white house secretary karine jean-pierre was just asked about the alabama supreme court ruling that stated frozen embryos amount to unborn children she tied it to roe v wade, and it has nothing to do with roe v wade >> hillary clinton's

supreme court hadn't over ruled roe v wade. i mean, this is a very natural decision for the alabama supreme court because they had already held that a pregnancy. so an embryo in a room was a child for purposes of this wrongful death, a statute. so it was a very natural next step for the alabama supreme court to say, well, also it covers embryos that happened to be in a freezer. i mean, what this can mean though, for a broader why it worries people about a persian rights in this country is because every time we have a court that says, you know, a baby during pregnancy or a baby is a baby in the freezer, but for as an embryo, i mean it, it, the more contacts and which that happens, the more it seems like, well, maybe the, it's also a person in abortion. and if that were true, if the u. s. supreme court decided that with, with respect to the word for a person in our 14th amendment, then that would mean of course it has to be legal everywhere in the us. i understand that with this really bad possibly of a physician, for example, doing i've yet on the could be charged with, with yeah, chilling or, or hurting damaging a child in could y

the alabama sunreme court _ embryo to be a child. the alabama supremebama supreme court rules that - supreme court rules that resisting... in the state, non—lawful... covers notjust foetuses in the room, but embryos as well. this doctor is co—founder of alabama fertility. like many clinics, they pause to new treatments while they get legal clarity. treatments while they get legal clari . ~ ., ., ., treatments while they get legal clari .~ ., ., ., ., ., clarity. we are doing all of our usual routine _ clarity. we are doing all of our usual routine things. - clarity. we are doing all of our usual routine things. we - clarity. we are doing all of our usual routine things. we have| clarity. we are doing all of our. usual routine things. we have a clarity. we are doing all of our- usual routine things. we have a hold on a couple of things that we are holding in the laboratory for patient and embryo safety, but we are here to stay and we are going to fight this. are here to stay and we are going to fiuht this. , .,_ are here to stay and we are going to fiuht

haley declares that she believes embryos are babies siding with a stunning decision by the alabama supreme court. >> we're tracking >> all the fallout from the ruling as a major provider is now pausing in vitro fertilization treatments in alabama, fearing prosecution and define house republicans are trying to push the biden impeachment inquiry forward, grilling the president's brother behind, closed doors, despite the very damning indictment of a former fbi informant accused because of getting bogus dirt on the bidens from the russians welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in the situation room the skis, cnn breaking news >> let's get right to the breaking news. president biden now weighing new executive action to address the immigration prices that's a huge concern for many americans at the southern border and beyond cnn's priscilla alvarez is over at the white house. she's got details. priscilla, what are you learning >> well, sources are telling me that the white house is now considering this executive action that would essentially lim

in the days after alabama's supreme court ruling, there was huge reaction from politicians across thevf, but it is tricky. they cannot alienate those who support the ruling and those who are disturbed by it. we are going to find a fix. you know? just don't about it and... 0r worry about it as little as you can because we are going to find an answer. hopefully clinics will be open soon and you can get back to your normal infertility issues, instead of worrying about access. has the intervention by former president donald trump put pressure on you? no, or anybody else. i mean, biden came out, hayley has come out. let'sjust get it right. democrats, in the minority here, sensed an opportunity, but also danger. there are other countries and other places that consider themselves to be extremely conservative and they could follow suit. we want to make sure we are getting ahead of that and righting the wrong here in alabama, ground zero. this is ground zero right now. first it was abortion and now this ruling has opened a new battle front in reproductive rights. republicans want to minimise t

i'm evan low, and i approve this message for all of our shared values. >>> the alabama state supreme courts have the same legal rights as children. and today, in the aftermath, the university of alabama at birmingham's hospital system says it is pausing its ivf program. it's just too legally dangerous, the hospital says. quote, we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for ivf treatments. joining us now, professor of constitutional law at georgetown law school and author of policing the womb, invisible women and the criminalization of mother hood, michelle goodwin, thank you for being here. how far reaching is this ruling? >> well, it's important to know that this is a state supreme court decision. it's not a decision that's come out of a federal court that would reach across the country. it's not a decision before the united states supreme court, but that said, it's deeply alarming for families, for individuals in the state of alabama, individuals who are infertile, individ

the ruling by the all republican alabama supreme court as put into question the future of idea of treatments, which you said is one of the best ways for patients who want to have children, but struggle to conceive natural. professor glenn cohen of harvard law school is a leading expert on medical ethics. i asked him what this really means for people who are already in the process of getting id of treatments in alabama. yeah, so the case was about on the alabama around the full death of a minor statute, in the case arose out of destruction, of embryos by mouth fees and allegedly, by the back. so uh that you know, that one of the largest providers, alabama has announced that they're going to suspend the us. there will be a question about whether people who already have frozen embryos to transfer them to another state for example. so when it comes to people who are starting out, they're gonna have a tough time finding an alabama, this one going to freeze their embryos and can you just store them? is that the king smell in alabama, a doctor who performs an idea of treatment. it could be what sue

abortion here in the united states, marine ziegler mary, in the majority opinion here of the alabama supreme court, associate justice j mitchell writes, quote, the people of alabama i have declared the public policy of the state to be that unborn human life is sacred, we believe that each human being, from the moment of conception is made in the image of god created by him to reflect his likeness. unquote that sounds to me, i'm no legal expert that bid sends less like a legal argument and more like a religious declaration. what's your reaction >> one of the things that's really striking about both the majority in the concurring opinion by the chief justice of the court is that this claim essentially that alabama voters embraced christianity, right? that alabama voters wrote christianity into the text of the alabama constitution. so there's no longer any daylight between church and state. there's no longer any daylight between religious teachings and constitutional law. and so i think it's right to read this opinion is saying we're going to see a lot more of this from the alabama supreme court and

rodney, the alabama supreme court — americans. of me — think it has. for the life of me i— think it has. for the life of me i can't— think it has. for the life of me i can't understand how republican voters run away from ivf republican voters run away from ivf and — republican voters run away from ivf and creating life. that is who — ivf and creating life. that is who we _ ivf and creating life. that is who we are. we have to change that debate. i think republicans can win on the abortion— republicans can win on the abortion debate. we have to make — abortion debate. we have to make birth—control over—the—counter. we need to give _ over—the—counter. we need to give women and families and americans a chance to have access _ americans a chance to have access that they may not have easy— access that they may not have easy access to, and we can also win because of the extremism on the democratic side, which is abortion— the democratic side, which is abortion up to both, on demand, no ntatter— abortion up to both, on demand, no matter w

willis, a winery host in napa, appearing to backup part of her testimony and a decision by alabama supreme court could have huge implications for anyone. they're considering becoming pregnant by in vitro fertilization shunned, or even anyone who has embryos in storage there who has used in vitro fertilization and alabama, we have these stories and more ahead this hour on cnn central vegas >> story of sin city, sunday at ten on cnn. >> the right age for neutrogena retina >> that's whenever you want it to be. >> it has germ proven retina >> that targets vital cell turnover even skin tone and smooth fine lines with visible results in just one week, neutrogena retinol meet the jennifer's. gen x and y and gen-z. >> each >> planning their future for the chase mobile app. >> gen x is planning >> a summer in portugal with some help from jpmorgan wealth plan. let's go whiskers done. why is working with a banker to budget for her birthday >> you only turned 30 once. >> and gen z, her credits goal, then, hello, new apartment three he jens getting a head with chase solutions that grow with you. one bank for

conversation. >> tonight, the followed from the alabama supreme court decision extending into politics, with some republicans attempting to walk a fine line on reproductive rights. on wednesday, nikki haley asked about the alabama decision by nbc news's ali vitali. >> the supreme court there said that embryos created through ivf her consider children, and they are offered the same protections. do you agree? >> i mean, i think that embryos, to, me or babies. >> later, appearing to walk back those comments. >> i guess my question is, you then disagree with the alabama supreme court, right? >> yeah. but i think that the court was doing it based on the law. we do not one fertility treatments to shut down. >> reproductive rights have become an issue for republicans since the fall of roe v. wade. for the vast majority of americans, supporting access to ivf, a survey from republican kellyanne conway's from should 78% support, even among those who identify as pro life advocates. today at cpac, an annual gathering of conservatives, woman we spoke to were in full support of ivf. >> why would the

so according to this alabama supreme court ruling, i guess, van, all of those babies, all of those families who have had the gift of life, thanks to this technology, should not aboveboard. and all those people who were looking forward to have children that suffer from infertility which over 6 million women in this country, they just shouldn't have that opportunity. republicans do not want to have this discussion. if i'm dumb if i know democrats i'm going to go out and showcase all the families in my district or state or even a national election that have had successful ivf pregnancies and say to them, i challenge republicans to say that these children should not have had an opportunity at life. the extremism now is really beginning, i think, to sink in for some people, particularly women across this country who feel as though they are under attack. and they are. the rights of women in this country are under attack daily. and the republican party is at the helm of it. >> and you had, yesterday, nikki haley saying that she agreed with the alabama supreme court that embryos are children. but l

ruling uses a bible verse to explain the decision, notably just two of the nine justices on the alabama supreme court talk about this decision by alabama's supreme court. what does it mean for ivf clinics, for couples, for women trying to get pregnant? could other red states follow suit? >> yes. it's very concerning, because by deeming an embryo to be a person, it subjected the plaintiff for dropping and destroying an embryo. it could mean people could be criminally liable for murder for destroying an embryo. the reason it matters to ivf is if you are a clinic providing this service, you collect lots of frozen embryos. there's a decision made about what to do with unused embryos. destruction is part of the plan. the worry about some sort of accidental destruction of the embryos creates legal liability for these clinics that could shut them down. as to whether other states could follow suit, absolutely. we see one state do something that seems radical and then everybody else is a copycat. we have seen that with heartbeat laws and other things. they changed the rules to provide medication by mail and w

i want to remind people a little bit of what nikki haley said about the alabama court ruling. >> the supreme court there said that embryos created through ivf are considered children and are offered those same protections. do you agree? >> i mean, i think embryos to me are babies. >> even though created through ivf? >> i mean, i had artificial insemination. that's how i had my son. >> as you know, she, her campaign felt she this to clarify that statement, which shows just how fraught this is for republicans. talk about that. >> yeah, look, we have watched republicans over the course of this entire election cycle struggle when it comes to talking about reproductive health care. of course when it comes to abortion but now as we watch different states continue to walk into aspects of reproductive care, the way republican politicians struggle to talk about it. in the case of nikki haley, we watched the way she said it to me. i asked her directly about the view of the alabama supreme court, i asked if she agreed with that. she said that embryos to her are babies. listen to the way she's now tryin

debate that's going on now, the national debate that was manifested in the decision of the alabama supreme court last week. when they decided that -- that court decided, consistent with the dobbs' decision, that ivf would no longer be legal in the state of alabama. as a result of that decision, ivf clinics were threatened and some even closed in the area for fear of criminal prosecution for bringing to this earth children from loving families just like tammy's. tammy duckworth has spoken out even this morning on the issue and what it means to her personally and what it means to all of us who value those individuals who fight so hard to create a family. which is what she did and so successfully. mr. president, it was nearly two years ago the supreme court's right-wing majority made the disastrous decision to overrule roe v. wade, striking down the constitutional protections that afforded women when, how, and whether to have children. that is at at hard -- at the heart of this whole debate, it is at the heart of the ivf issue. now we live in a world of dobbs where republicans have seized the oppor

the outrage over alabama's supreme court ruling on the status of frozen embryos is rapidly taking on a bipartisan flavor tonight as many key republicans, including donald trump, rush to publicly voice their support for in vitro fertilization. the court's ruling that frozen embryos are children triggered some ivf providers in alabama to pause the procedures fearing exposure to wrongful death lawsuits if embryos are destroyed in the process tonight, alabama's republican attorney general offering reassurance, his office saying in a statement he has no intention of using the decision as a basis for prosecuting ivf families or providers. tonight, ivf patients in alabama still left in the lurch many now learning they cannot easily ship their frozen embryos out of state yamiche alcindor is in alabama with the latest. >> reporter: after a week of confusion and frustration, tonight alabama's attorney general saying he has no intention to prosecute ivf families or providers just last week, the state supreme court ruled that frozen embryos are children and that people can be held liable for dest

alabama pausing ivf treatments after a controversial court ruling on frozen embryos. the university of alabama at birmingham hospital suspending ivf treatments after the state supreme court ruled that frozen embryos are children the hospital saying they fear criminal charges or lawsuits. >>> also tonight, the brother of president biden testifying in the house gop's impeachment inquiry. what he told them as prosecutors say a former fbi informant admitted the lies he spread about the bidens came from russia >>> just in, the u.s. sailor on an american warship charged with spying what we've learned >>> the passengers on an american airlines flight restraining a man with duct tape after they say he tried to open an emergency exit in midair. >>> the mudslides shutting down part of the pacific coast highway after days of rain. also, multimillion dollar homes teetering on the edge. >>> the first trial under way in the deadly shooting on the set of "rust." the movie's armorer in court. >>> rising concerns about measles in the u.s. six cases in just one school how is it spreading? >>> and the time of their lives. two clockmaker brothers looking for a new home for their cuckoo coll

republicans are moving really quickly to distance themselves from that controversial alabama supreme in court ivf ruling. alabama's attorney general says he no intention of prosecuting families or ivf providers. republicans across the country now, including former president trump, have come out in support of protecting ivf treatments does that undercut the arguments by democrats that republicans are going after in vitro fertilization >> hell, no, it does not. i mean, we've always known that with the appointments that donald trump made to the united states supreme court, that ivf, that a woman's ability to make her own decisions about her body and all the panoply of things that come from that were in jeopardy. and so this alabama supreme court ruling is natural extension of that, and that's exactly why even in a state like michigan where we've made huge strides and protecting the right to reproductive freedom is still very much at risk with a prospect of a second trump term. >> governor >> part of the issue and it is ivf is incredibly complicated on a lot of levels. part of the issue that repu

building in montgomery she highlighted efforts to increase bold choices and stays over the alabama supreme courtuled embryos create through in vitro fertilization should be considered children which sparked. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> thank you so much. please be seated. lieutenant governor, president pro tem reed, speaker, speaker pro tem pringle, members of alabama legislature, justices of alabama supreme court, distinguished guests and my fellow alabamians. [applause] it is an honor to address you all as we begin what will be a consequential legislative session. in just one month will mark -- on march the fifth we will head to the polls to vote at alabama's a primary which is significant this year as we are now one of the earliest states in the nation and included among those with super tuesday. all the more reason to get out and proudly cast your vote. any chance i get i remind young people that voting is a single most important civic duty that we have. from delivering this message each year to speaking with her fourth grade learners about

in the days after alabama's supreme court ruling, there was huge reaction from politicians across theans in alabama plan to introduce a bill to protect ivf, but it is tricky. they cannot alienate those who support the ruling and those who are disturbed by it. we are going to find a fix. you know? just don't about it and... or worry about it as little as you can because we are going to find an answer. hopefully clinics will be open soon and you can get back to your normal infertility issues, instead of worrying about access. has the intervention by former president donald trump put pressure on you? no, or anybody else. i mean, biden came out, hayley has come out. let'sjust get it right. democrats, in the minority here, sensed an opportunity, but also danger. there are other countries and other places that consider themselves to be extremely conservative and they could follow suit. we want to make sure we are getting ahead of that and righting the wrong here in alabama, ground zero. this is ground zero right now. first it was abortion and now this ruling has opened a new battle front in

that alabama supreme court leaning more conservative, look at this gop, the best that this can do is register essentially a 50-50 split with 49% support, 49% opposition. there are rarely issues in which you see republicans and democrats both sort of this close together. and this is sort of points out how politically difficult this is for republicans were their own basis split. democrats rats are overwhelmingly opposed and the american public is overwhelmingly opposed. >> ivf seems to be this new third rail and there are a lot of republican politicians who know it abortion broadly speaking, it is very much a campaign issue since the dobbs decision donald trump has come out and supportive of a 16th, 16 week federal ban on abortion for water views on that? >> yeah. all right. so we saw that voters should say, i should say i don't know. it has been reported yet. he is supportive that he has not come as he has not come out with a new york times report, correct, john. so if we look here, a national ban on abortion after six weeks of presidency, again, this is a bad idea. if you're talking

but we are here because a few days ago alabama's far-right supreme court handed down a first of its kind ruling effectively making ivf impossible in alabama. so we're seeing heartbreaking headlines about couples in that state being forced to rethink their plans to start a family through the ivf process that was just in effect getting going back then, 30 years ago. some of these families have already spent tens of thousands of dollars and have undergone extensive medical treatment. alabama's largest hospital system, the university of alabama, has already passed -- paused its ivf services out of fear of prosecution. the decision to conceive a child through ivf is rarely ever a parent's first choice. it's physically and emotionally painful, taxing and tedious and expensive. but for countless couples dreaming of just one thing, just one thing -- the chance to start a family -- the legislation that my colleagues have been working on is absolutely essential. the ivf journey, as we started talking about years ago, for so many parents is gruelling, filled with countless doctors' appointments, ag

we are five 0ur reporter in los angeles. - are five days after the ruling by the alabama supreme courtsifying embryos as children. the largest hospital in the state of alabama, university of alabama hospital, has said that it is putting ivf procedures on hold for the time being while it evaluates the potential implications of this ruling by the alabama supreme court last week. there is concern that doctors and patients could be the subject of criminal or civil proceedings in the light of this decision by the justices or indeed find themselves susceptible to large fires. reaction to this has been swift. the national infertility association hearing states has said it is heartbroken in a statement by the decision of the university hospital in alabama and it also in the statement goes on to say that this new legal framework in statement goes on to say that this new legalframework in its view could make it impossible, and state in the state of alabama for ivf treatment to be offered. 50 alabama for ivf treatment to be offered. ., ~ ., ., alabama for ivf treatment to be offered. ., ~ ., , of

they may keep them frozen, but they are their choice to do. >> alabama supreme court ruling sends the case back to the mobile county circuit court for further proceedings. >>> and the biden administrations were going to clean up the nation's drinking water here in california, over half a billion dollars will go towards the state's drinking water, wastewater, and storm water infrastructure upgrades. the funding comes from the 2021 bipartisan legislation that designated billions of dollars to improving the country's water infrastructure. throughout u.s., there are more than two million miles of underground pipes that carry drinking water, more than 16,000 treatment plants that handle wastewater. but the system has been receiving poor grades for decades. the epa says many of the problems stem from a lack of investment. >>> and the fbi and the international allies have seized a dark website that has plagued organizations all over the world with ransomware attacks. the gang known as lock bit has claimed responsibility for several attacks using the dark web to extort its victims. the group

that's your miracle. >> reporter: that date now on hold after the alabama supreme court ruled frozen uld lead to legal or civil consequences. the university of alabama, where the jacksons were seeking treatment, suspending all ivf services in response. >> we were just heartbroken to have your entire, not plan a, plan b, this is probably everyone's last see sort, and then to have that taken away from you is literally impossible at that point. >> reporter: around 2% of babies in the u.s., more than 80,000, are born each year using assisted reproductive technology, usually ivf. >> the world's first test tube baby -- >> reporter: since the first so-called test tube baby louise brown was born in england in 1978, more than 8 million babies have been conceived that way worldwide. >> they now have the child they wanted. >> reporter: ivf involves the extraction of a woman's eggs which are then fertilized with sperm from a partner or donor and grown in a lab. the resulting embree so is implanted into the mother's uterus. the treatment is done in cycles and can take several attempts. unused embr

we start with the fallout following that bombshell ruling from the alabama supreme court that frozen embryos can be considered children. the state's largest hospital now says it will pause ivf treatments leaving couples with fertility problems with nowhere to go. cbs' jarred hill joins us now from new york with reaction. >> reporter: yeah, this ruling has created a lot of uncertainty and anxiety for fertility doctors and people hoping to be parents in alabama. one woman who we talked to said that she cannot figure out what's going to be happening next for her. >> completely derailed a lot of hope. >> reporter: jasmine york says she is angry and sad after the university of alabama health system told her they're pausing her fertility treatments. the 34-year-old mom of a 13-year-old says ivf is her only hope to have another child after multiple ectopic pregnancies. >> we want to grow our family. it would mean the world to everyone around me. >> reporter: the university of alabama health system released a statement saying it is saddened but, quote, we must evaluate the potential that our

supreme court of our country? it's unlikely that this particular alabama decision would go to the us supreme court because they basedolding on state law . >> and so there isn't a obvious vehicle for to get it up to the us supreme court. >> as for the law in alabama, now that the supreme court in alabama upheld what would be done? i mean, you're saying that this law was passed, that this ruling was made many, many years ago, decades ago, over a century ago? well yes. >> the law that this court was interpreting is the wrongful death of a minor act. it was passed in 1872, and as the dissent points out, the legislature at that time certainly didn't envision in, um, in vitro fertilization and frozen embryos as something that could even exist, let alone be under this act. and the legislature of alabama, of course, is free to modify the act or amend it to say it does not apply to frozen embryos outside the uterus. currently um, legislators in alabama, some are looking into that. so it could be changed through legislation, legislation there. >> all right. so what are your thoughts, judge hallgren, of seeing all this play ou

dismissed the lawsuit saying that embryos do not fit definitions of person or child, but the alabama supreme court overruled it. >> associate justice j. mitchell, writing in the majority opinion that state law quote, applies to all children born and unborn without limitation it is not the role of this court to craft a new limitation based on our own view of what is or is not wise public policy that is especially true where as here, the people of this state have adopted a constitutional amendment directly aimed at stopping courts from excluding unborn life from legal protection joining me now is dana sussman. she is deputy executive director of pregnancy justice, which is a legal non-profit that defends women who face charges related to any pregnancy outcome dan, thanks for being with us here. what's your reaction to this ruling >> the ruling was unfortunately not entirely surprising coming from alabama, a state that has, as you mentioned, passed a constitutional amendment protecting unborn life but the extreme step that the court has taken is unprecedented to extend that protection to frozen embry

alabama's supreme court legally recognizing frozen embryos as children. what does that mean for the unused embryos created for ivf? and could it have a nationwide impact? >>> the powerful storm slamming california. major flooding and landslides boulders blocking the road and dramatic water rescues. >>> the grim discovery in the search for an 11-year-old girl who never made it onto the school bus in texas. >>> two new suspects and new murder charges in that deadly shooting at the kansas city chiefs super bowl parade >>> the suspect in a deadly double shooting at a colorado university making his first court appearance as police reveal he was the roommate of one of the victims >>> four days to the south carolina gop primary, nikki haley's defiant message as polls show her trailing donald trump nearly two to one. >>> and from the diamond to the lanes, the baseball superstar who has mastered a different game with balls and strikes. >> there we go >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening and welcome. we are learning for the firs

well, in this case that we're talking about this alabama supreme court ruled on frozen embryos that were destroyed when they were dropped. on the floor. >> and the ruling says the embryos would be protected under the state's wrongful death act or death of a minor act. so it could frankly be applied quite broadly >> you know what? >> this might just become the blueprint, say, in other states. because these states, you see on the screen right now, they broadly defined personhood as beginning at fertilization. and that of course has huge implications for ivf and also for abortion. i mean, we've seen how for so many, how disruptive the pros roe v. world weighed can be. i mean, remember the story of kate cox. that's the 31 year-old texas mom of two who filed a lawsuit to end a pregnancy that her dr. said could threaten her life and have a chance to have a chance that she may have to have a child and the future. >> the >> texas supreme court turned her down, leaving her with two choices carry a non-viable pregnancy to term, potentially risking her own life or leave texas to get an abortion els

just five days after that ruling by the alabama supreme court classifying embryos as children, the largestospital, has said that it is putting ivf procedures on hold for the time being whilst it evaluates the potential implications of this ruling by the alabama supreme court last week, there is concern that doctors and patients could be the subject of criminal or civil proceedings in the light of this decision by the justices, or indeed find themselves susceptible to large fines. now, reaction to this has been swift. the national infertility association here in the united states has said it is heartbroken in a statement by the decision, the decision of the university hospital in alabama. and it also in that statement goes on to say that this new legal framework, in its view, could make it impossible in the state of alabama for ivf treatment to be offered. david, so far, alabama is the first state to pass such a ruling. could other states look to do the same? well, that is a possibility, of course, steve. and there are concerns amongst some here that this sort of thing could raise the cost

back here at home, fallout from alabama supreme court's ruling that frozen embryos are children. e's biggest hospital said it is putting all ivf treatments on hold while soeurts out the court's decision. elizabeth schulze join us with those details. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the decision from alabama's supreme court is quickly reverberating across the state's healthcare system with a major hospital now stopping ivf treatments. families tell us they are confused, frustrated and shocked that desperately needed fertility options could soon no longer be available in the state. this morning ivf fertility treatments at alabama's biggest hospital grinding to a halt after that unprecedented rule lg by the state supreme court determining frozen embryos are children. the university of alabama at birmingham health systems saying in a statement, we must evaluate the potentials that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for ivf treatments. >> i never thought it would get to this point. >> reporter: tho

today presiden biden's campaign manager said what is happening in alabama right now is only possible because donald trump's supreme court justices overturned roe v. wade. in the meantime donald trump will be speaking tonight at the national religious broadcasters convention in nashville, tennessee, just about 85 miles away from the state of alabama. whether he is asked about abortion and ivf is unknown, but either way he better come up with an answer. joining meth now are tim miller writer at large at the bulwark, and michelle goldberg, opinion columnist for "the new york times." thank you both for being here. so, michelle. >> ergod. >> i will say, i'm not one to say mike pence is cassandra. not even a cassandra because he wasn'tsa predicting doom. that 2020 interview is so ilustrative of the bind republicans find themselves in if not completely of their making. what are your expectations of this issue and the 2024 election? could it be inwhole ball game? >> i think on this very narrow issue of ivf my guess is they try to do something to clarify it. in alabama you see there's a republican senator who's saying, well, may