Alabama
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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The iconic wooden roller coaster at Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is officially back in action, along with some seasonal deals. This Father’s Day, dads can get into the park for free to ride the restored coaster, Rampage.
It’s not the only attraction returning; this Halloween, Alabama Adventure is bringing back not one but two haunted houses for the first time since the late 2000s.
If you can’t wait until then, the Bessemer park will be open late on Saturdays and end with a pop of color. Adventure Summer Nights will have the park open until 9:30 p.m. once a week with a fireworks show to round off the night.
And as an apology to their loyal visitors, people who bought a daily ticket before June 10 are welcome to come back and try their new and improved attractions for free. If you’re a season pass holder, don’t feel left out—pass holder discounts are doubled for the month of July.
Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday set an execution date for death row inmate Jeremy Williams, who was convicted in the 2021 kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland in Phenix City.
Williams is scheduled to be executed by the state’s three-drug lethal injection during a 30-hour window beginning at 12 a.m. August 13 and ending at 6 a.m. August 14. The execution date comes after the Alabama Supreme Court granted a request from Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office on June 16, authorizing the state to carry out the sentence.
In a letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace, Ivey said the Supreme Court’s June 16 order serves as the official death warrant for Williams.
“By law, I am required to specify the time frame for carrying out the sentence of death,” Ivey said. “Accordingly, I hereby order that Jeremy Lee Williams’s sentence of death be carried out within a time frame beginning on August 13, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. and ending on August 14, 2026, at 6:00 a.m.”
Ivey noted that she retains the authority to commute the sentence before the execution takes place.
Williams, 34, was convicted in April 2024 on four counts of capital murder stemming from Holland’s death. Prosecutors charged him with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a rape, capital murder during first-degree sodomy and capital murder of a child younger than 14.
Authorities said Holland disappeared from her family’s home in Phenix City on December 13, 2021. Her body was discovered two days later inside an abandoned house less than a mile away. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
In addition to the death sentence, Williams received several other prison terms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking and for knowingly producing recordings depicting the sexual abuse of a child. He also received another life sentence for a separate sexual abuse conviction, along with a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit human trafficking and a 10-year sentence for abuse of a corpse.
Unlike most death row inmates, Williams sought to speed up the execution process. During a hearing, he told the court that he accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted the sentence carried out.
In 2025, Williams dismissed his attorneys and informed the court that he wished to waive any remaining appeals and proceed with his execution. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson determined that Williams was competent to make that decision and allowed him to forgo further legal challenges.
Under Alabama law, capital convictions automatically receive appellate review. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals subsequently affirmed Williams’ conviction and death sentence in March.
After that review concluded, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court in May to authorize an execution date. The court granted the request earlier this week, clearing the way for Ivey to schedule the execution.
If carried out as scheduled, Williams’ execution would occur nearly five years after Holland’s death and a little more than two years after he was sentenced to death.
Williams’ execution would be Alabama’s first by lethal injection since April 2025. The state’s three most recent executions were carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, which Alabama began using in 2024.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – You don’t find too many camps where you learn how to slap someone. But this summer, you will in Montgomery. It’s one of many kids camps put on by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
“We have our Camp Shakespeare Junior which is our half day for the littles, kindergarten through 3rd grade,” said Cameron Williams, the ASF director of education. “We have Big Kid Shakespeare camp and everyone is learning all about ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.”
They learn about on stage combat, different acting techniques, and also how to be creative and think on their feet.
“I think theater skills are life skills. So, what makes this camp special is we’re doing more than just boosting literacy and doing theater things. We’re doing life skills, learning what it means to be team players, about discipline, and working with people who may have different personalities than you.”
Different kids have different talents. And even if your child isn’t up for a lead role in the next play, this place can leave a lasting impact.
“If you’re looking for a place where your kid can come out of their shell, to learn how to speak in front of a group, and develop some confidence, this is the place to be.”
It’s a place that’s a real treasure in Montgomery, and its mining some young gems, who one day, could be on the big stage themselves. There are still more ASF camps going on this summer for pre-teens and even adults.
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Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.
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