I was an IVF baby. Growing up, explaining this process to my young peers became a daunting task. Some children were fascinated by the fact that I “did not have a dad” whereas others dubbed me a “science project.” Despite the overwhelming criticism, there were kind children. These peers always held a special place in my heart because they allowed me the space to share who I was without an ounce of judgment.

To those peers and my family, your kindness allowed me to embrace that my voice mattered. Now, as I enter my early 20s, I will continue to use my voice for those who are forced to remain silent.  

Dear Alabama, your ruling, deeming that embryos created through IVF should be considered children, is a disgrace to American democracy.

Democracy is not about whose opinion is superior. Rather, democracy is granting the space for healthy disorder. In simple terms, democracy is about progress and giving people the freedom of expression. The voice of the people should be a space for disagreement and argument, not oppression.

Alabama, your decision is a true threat to democracy— one that tears its core ideologies to shreds and disregards it for nothing. 

In the “land of the free,” this authoritarian ruling does nothing to support life as it is. To understand this, I will explain what exactly an embryo is.

Firstly a sperm head, called an acrosome, penetrates through the many layers of an oocyte, a developing egg cell. Once the acrosome reaches the innermost layer of the oocyte, these two cells fuse, and “fertilization is considered to be complete,” according to Science Online, a research database. Once fertilization is complete, the zygote— a fertilized egg— “begins to undergo development.” Development, in this case, is cell division. The scientific term for cell division is cleavage. 

As more cells divide, the zygote develops new cells that have new functions. Essentially, these new cells contribute to the “preembryonic stage of development.” Certain cells contribute to the development of the placenta while others contribute to the development of the embryo. 

Finally, the blastocyst, a cluster of dividing cells, continues to develop and becomes an embryo. 

According to the National Library of Medicine, in true biological terms, the simplest definition of life is the cell. 

Yes, cells are considered life; but, there is another question to be answered, one that continues to ebb and flow with society: what does it mean to be a human?

The argument the Alabama Supreme Court is trying to make is that embryos, living cells, should be considered children. This is where the argument gets messy since elements of philosophy, sociology, and law are all being used. 

A good argument does not include my personal beliefs about child development and the philosophy behind it, rather, I ask that readers consider the following notion.

Cells are considered life. That is a known fact. Bacteria cells are also considered living. Tuberculosis cells are living since it is a bacterial infection. Now, should we consider TB cells viable? Cells that deserve rights? 

Cells that go on to become embryos and cells that go on to become Tuberculosis are inherently different in their functions, but at the end of the day, both cells are living.

Does simply being considered “living” mean that those cells deserve human rights?

If Alabama advises we consider embryonic cells to have human rights, then let us consider all living cells to have human rights.

Congratulations Tuberculous, maybe in a few years, you’ll have human rights too! 

There is a segment in Alabama’s ruling that caught my attention. It was just one word that I could not let go of.

The statement goes as follows, “In theory, these frozen embryos can remain viable for an infinite amount of time,” according to Case No. SC-2022-0515— the official court case ruling that embryos should be considered children. 

The word “viable” beamed brighter than any other word on that wordy legal page.

In biological terms, the word viable means “a life form that has the capacity to sustain growth, development, or reproduction,” according to Biology Online. 

Back to my analogy. Tuberculosis cells have the ability to develop and “reproduce,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Mycobacteria [Tuberculosis] reproduce by binary fission, which means that in almost all cases each new bacillus has identical DNA, just as human identical twins are genetically identical to each other,” according to the CDC. 

This makes Tuberculosis cells viable, but did the Alabama Supreme Court consider that?

Justices Greg Shaw and Kelli Wise both have undergraduate degrees in science. Shaw holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry while his fellow justice, Wise, holds an undergraduate degree in biology with a minor in nursing. 

But, instead of using their degrees for the better, the justices, along with the seven, used a law passed in 1872 to justify their decision. 

The law is known as the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act of 1872. 

Best to my knowledge, IVF, if ever a thought, would be considered sorcery. To my point, IVF was not around back in 1872 so why apply a law that is 152 years old?  

The decision to apply this law and to consider embryos children is disgraceful to the people the justices serve. This act is yet another step towards a political world that denies people fertility and reproductive rights.

This decision does not only affect heterosexual couples and individuals trying for children but also queer families and individuals. This issue is one that affects people from all walks of life.

Rowan students, this is where I ask for your help. 

As a campus that is very politically active, it is our responsibility as voters and citizens to partake in issues as such. As a democracy, there is room for your voices to be heard, even if you have to shout.

I have seen great things happening on Rowan’s campus, and I hope that raising awareness of this issue can be another one. I urge you students, to partake in politics. Whether that be on the local, state, or federal level. 

This will cause a ripple effect that will force other jurisdictions to respond. 

As Abbie Hoffman said in Steal This Book, “Democracy is not something you believe in or hang your hat on, but something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles and falls. If you participate, the future is yours.”

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