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Louisiana fertility clinics concerned by Alabama ruling on frozen embryos

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Louisiana fertility clinics concerned by Alabama ruling on frozen embryos


NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment clinics are concerned by the implications of a new Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said frozen embryos are children.

Medical experts in Louisiana fear a similar ruling could happen here.

Reproductive endocrinologist and fertility expert Dr. Nicole Ulrich of Audubon Fertility said she’s disappointed by the Alabama decision.

“A feeling of dismay. Shock and dismay, honestly. It’s very upsetting,” Ulrich said.

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She said a law that bestows personhood to embryos can pose significant challenges to IVF and fertility treatments.

“It can be difficult if an embryo is considered a person in that context, because we know as a part of IVF not every embryo is going to result in a pregnancy,” Ulrich said. “We’re trying to get as many eggs to create as many embryos to have as many chances as we can.”

Ulrich said that if 10 mature eggs are fertilized, about 80 percent generally fertilize normally. Of those, about half will grow out to the stage of embryo development that would allow for an attempt at pregnancy.

“We are the sort of caretakers of the eggs and embryos as they’re growing and moving towards the point where they could potentially create a pregnancy,” she said. “And if something happens during that process that would naturally occur as part of IVF, you could be held liable (under the Alabama definition).”

That means providers in Alabama could potentially be found liable in a wrongful death lawsuit for mistakenly destroying frozen embryos, which are afforded the same protection as babies under the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.

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Fox 8 legal analyst Joe Raspanti said, “Every state is its own separate entity. So how (the Alabama ruling) directly impacts a state? Maybe not much. But there are going to be a lot more indirect implications to Louisiana and maybe countrywide by this ruling in Alabama.”

Ulrich said, “Alabama is saying it’s a child. It’s a person. Here, (embryos) are juridical people, but we still have the same restriction where we can’t discard embryos that are considered ‘viable’ by the law, although that definition is very broad.”

Ulrich said the options are storing embryos indefinitely, paying for storage every year, donating to another couple or moving them to a different state and discarding of them there, which is often what patients in Louisiana do.

Raspanti said there’s a lot to consider.

“If they implant one or two and the person gets pregnant, what do they do with those other embryos? Can the parents say to destroy them? I don’t know about that. Can they waive certain rights of that embryo? I don’t know about that. These are the dominos that may be falling down the line, based upon this type of ruling,” Raspanti said.

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Ulrich said if something similar were to be handed down in Louisiana, it would make her practice far too expensive and recruitment within her profession here very challenging.

“The risk is then so high, IVF is not something that I think many physicians and embryologists potentially even try to practice, because it would be so risky,” Ulrich said.

She said that between 1-in-6 and 1-in-8 couples experience infertility, and that most recent data shows 1 percent of babies born in Louisiana were conceived by IVF, compared to 2 percent nationally.

Ulrich said patients could attempt IVF by fertilizing one egg at a time. However, she said each attempt would take a physical, emotional and financial toll on hopeful parents.

“Without coverage, paying out of pocket, if the cost goes up in response to a law like this or a ruling like this, it’s going to cut a lot of people out of the group that could potentially utilize this treatment and make a lot of couples or individuals end up where they can’t conceive at all and they can’t build their families,” Ulrich said.

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans responded to Fox 8′s request for comment by issuing a statement that said, “All children, regardless of the circumstances of their conception and birth, are gifts from God who should be loved, cherished and cared for. Infertility is a challenging and sensitive issue for couples. The Catholic Church wants to walk with couples facing infertility and seeks to provide morally acceptable resources for couples seeking to become parents.

“The destruction of human embryos has always been of concern and one reason the Catholic Church opposes IVF. The Catholic Church believes that human life begins at conception and extends to natural death. Let us pray that our society may grow in respect for the dignity of all life and work to support and promote morally acceptable ways to help couples facing infertility achieve their dream of parenthood.”

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Alabama

Top-30 overall recruit Jaxon Richardson commits to Alabama

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Top-30 overall recruit Jaxon Richardson commits to Alabama


Jaxon Richardson, the No. 27 overall recruit in the 2026 class per the Rivals Industry Ranking, has committed to Alabama.

The 6-foot-6 four-star small forward out of Southeastern Prep (FL) ultimately chose the Crimson Tide over USC, Creighton, and Ole Miss. He also received offers from Miami, Cincinnati, Michigan, Florida, Villanova, and others.

Richardson, a McDonald’s All-American, becomes the Crimson Tide’s third commitment of the 2026 cycle. He joins four-star shooting guard Qayden Samuels (No. 28 NATL) and four-star small forward Tarris Bouie (No. 54 NATL).

He’s the son of NBA veteran and two-time NBA Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson. His older brother, Jase, played for Michigan State last season before being selected 25th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.

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Rivals’ National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw says Richardson is one of the most explosive players in the 2026 class:

Jaxon Richardson is able to combine fluid athleticism with explosive burst in a way no other player in this class can. He uses his athleticism to his advantage on the floor. He fills the outside channels with a purpose in transition, he is aggressive in the passing lanes, and he plays as a vertical floor spacer in the dunker spots and lob plays. Last summer, playing with the Florida Rebels on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged 12.8 points on 54.0 percent shooting and 10.5 attempts per game. Last high school season, he averaged 12.9 points on 61.0 percent shooting on 8.9 attempts per game. He is a highly efficient player, as 84.4 percent of his makes last high school season were at the rim.



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Alabama Baseball Ties Stolen Base Record In Win Over Hornets

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Alabama Baseball Ties Stolen Base Record In Win Over Hornets


Alabama baseball cruised to a win over Alabama State on Wednesday night, beating the Hornets 13-4 to complete the season sweep. The Crimson Tide tied a program record with nine stolen bases in one of the stranger contests that will be played this season.

The tone was set for a tumultuous night on the basepaths in the opening minutes of the game. Leadoff batter Bryce Fowler, who exited Tuesday’s game after getting beaned in the head, was walked, and promptly took second base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch in Justin Lebron’s at-bat, paving the way for Lebron to steal second when he was ultimately walked as well.

The successful baserunning instantly paid off, as Brady Neal drove both in with a double to left-center field before John Lemm walked two at-bats later. Both runners stole their respective bases on the same pitch in Jason Torres’ plate appearance, meaning that four of the first five batters of the game stole a base.

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Alabama has been exceptional on the basepaths, sitting at 30-for-30 on the season. Lebron, who swiped two bags on Wednesday, leads the team with 12. The junior had an up-and-down night, hitting his eighth home run of the season, but also committing an error at shortstop for the fourth consecutive game.

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“Get those things out of there now, baby. The dude is unbelievable,” an unconcerned Rob Vaughn said on Tuesday of Lebron’s errors. “We’re going to look up at the end of the year, and that guy is going to have five or six errors, which one he’s got right now, and we’ll be like, ‘Man, that guy is the best of all time to do it.’”

Wednesday’s game was a very prototypical midweek contest with no shortage of quirks and oddities throughout its nearly four-hour runtime. Fifteen Alabama batters were walked, falling just one shy of the program record, and the hit by pitch record was tied as seven batters were plunked.

The game was never competitive from an on-field standpoint. After barely escaping with a 2-1 win in the first matchup with the Hornets two weeks ago, this was a far more accurate representation of what these games typically look like, as Alabama now leads the all-time series 15-0.

Freshman Joe Chiarodo made his first career start, allowing two hits and one walk over two scoreless innings. He was named the winning pitcher. Luke Smyers, Connor Lehman, Anthony Pesci and Tate Robertson were the other pitchers to take the mound. Lehman allowed a three-run blast in the sixth inning, and those were the only runs until the incredibly-named Skywalker Mann drove in a run off Robertson in the ninth.

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Perhaps the most shocking figure from the game was that Alabama had 19 runners left on base. The Crimson Tide left the bases loaded in four different innings. As stated, this was just a bizarre baseball game across the board. With the midweeks out of the way, the Crimson Tide gets to prepare for its final weekend tune-up before SEC play as North Florida heads into Tuscaloosa on Friday.



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Alabama

New Alabama law to set screen time limits for kids in day care, pre-K and kindergarten

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New Alabama law to set screen time limits for kids in day care, pre-K and kindergarten


The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act was signed on Wednesday, March 4, by Governor Kay Ivey to introduce limits on children’s screen time access in Alabama.

The Act is one of Ivey’s 2026 legislative priorities.

“Video screen access in classrooms can boost learning skills among our young children, but too much screen exposure can also be detrimental, harming critical social and cognitive development,” Ivey said. “The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act ensures our youngest students are provided a healthy balance of screen time and traditional learning in order to protect social and emotional development.”

Under the Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act, the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education will be required to work with the Department of Human Resources and the State Department of Education to develop guidelines for screen-based media.

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Guidelines will be implemented in early childhood education programs like day care centers, day care homes, night care facilities, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and group day care homes. The Act was sponsored by Representative Jeana Ross and Senator Donnie Chesteen.

“House Bill 78 establishes clear, research-based expectations for how technology is used in early childhood settings,” said Ross. “The goal is not to eliminate technology, but to ensure its use is developmentally appropriate and never replaces the hands-on learning and human interaction young children need most. By setting thoughtful guardrails and aligning classroom practices with the best available research on early brain development, this legislation supports educators, protects the quality of early learning and reinforces our commitment to giving Alabama’s youngest students the strongest possible start.”

A training program will also be created by the Department of Early Childhood Education to create a baseline for the appropriate use of child screentime for teachers and staff members supervising children.

“The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act represents another important step in ensuring Alabama’s youngest children grow and learn in environments that prioritize human interaction, exploration and healthy development,” said Chesteen. “Building on the progress made with last year’s FOCUS Act, this legislation continues our commitment to protecting the most formative years of childhood. I am grateful to Governor Kay Ivey and my colleagues in the Legislature for recognizing the importance of this issue and working together to support Alabama families.”

The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act will become effective on January 1, 2027.

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