Alabama Embryo Ruling Gives Boost to Fetal Personhood Movement

The Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling recognizing unimplanted human embryos as children underscores the anti-abortion movement’s efforts to build legal support for fetal and embryonic personhood.

Justices on the state’s top court ruled Feb. 16 that Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, which allows parents to recover punitive damages for their children’s deaths, includes the parents of unborn children, regardless of the ability to survive outside the womb.

The ruling sparked praise from anti-abortion groups who say human life begins at conception, while fueling opposition from abortion rights and fertility organizations who argue the decision will have ...