How does Roe affect IVF? Some worry abortion bans may target embryos



















  • In vitro fertilization is the process by which eggs are removed, fertilized in a lab and implanted to create a pregnancy.
  • IVF is responsible for about 84,000 babies annually, the CDC estimates.
  • The wording of some states’ anti-abortion laws is raising questions about the legal status of those fertilized embryos.
  • Some parents worry they could be exposed to criminal charges if their pregnancies fail.

Virginia McFeely knows she was born to be a mom, and when she and her husband struggled to conceive, they turned to in vitro fertilization for help.

After two years of treatments — including fertility drugs that gave her uncontrollable emotions, four daily hormone injections, egg harvesting and embryo implantation  — McFeeley and her husband welcomed their son in June 2020.