Tuberville âall forâ Alabama Supreme Court embryo ruling but âwe need more kidsâ
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., appeared to give contradictory statements Thursday on the Alabama Supreme Court decision ruling frozen embryos are “children,” saying he was “all for” the ruling but “we need more kids.”
“I was all for it,” Tuberville told reporters following his appearance at CPAC in Washington, D.C. “We need to have more kids, we need to have an opportunity to do that, and I think this was the right thing to do.”
Reporters told Tuberville that the ruling had the opposite effect — causing IVF treatments to pause at several Alabama facilities.
Asked if he was concerned on the impact the decision would have on Alabama families trying to have children, Tuberville responded, “That’s for another conversation…we need more kids, we need more people to have the opportunity to have more kids.”
“That’s a hard one, it really is,” the senator said, “because again, you want people to have that opportunity. … we need more kids.”
A spokeswoman for Tuberville could not immediately be reached for clarification on his remarks.
Meanwhile, a bill filed Thursday in the Alabama House would provide that any fertilized human egg or human embryo outside of a uterus “is not considered an unborn child or human being for any purpose under state law.”
House Bill 225, filed by Democratic Reps. Anthony Daniels, Prince Chestnut, Curtis Travis, Ontario Tillman, Pebblin Warren, would apparently protect in vitro fertilization following Friday’s court decision.
The bill would take effective immediately, if approved and signed into law.
The bill came after State Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, told the Alabama Reflector Thursday that he would file a similar bill.