One year after IVF crisis, Alabama families return to rally for lasting safeguards – ‘God has created IVF for families that need it’

Nearly one year after Alabama lawmakers scrambled to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), advocates and elected officials returned to the State House on Thursday to continue their push for permanent protections.

Fight for Alabama Families, a coalition formed in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court’s February 2024 ruling that threatened IVF treatments statewide, hosted its 2025 Advocacy Day yesterday morning.

The rally and press conference took place on the front steps of the Alabama State House, where supporters gathered to mark the anniversary of the IVF Immunity Act and call on lawmakers to finish the work they started.

“Last year, countless patients, doctors, and families came together and successfully fought to pass the IVF Immunity Act, but our job is not done,” said Corinn O’Brien, founder of Fight for Alabama Families. “Our mission remains: full and permanent protection for IVF in Alabama. IVF advocates must continue to make our presence felt and our voices heard until that mission is completed.”

Speakers at the event included O’Brien, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, State Rep. Terri Collins, Dr. Mamie McLean of Alabama Fertility Specialists, and IVF advocate and patient Jamie Heard. Following the press conference, attendees met with lawmakers to share their personal experiences and advocate for lasting IVF protections.

“We’re here to say thank you,” said O’Brien. “Thank you to the Alabama Legislature who passed the IVF Immunity Act in five legislative days, which is the quickest you can pass a bill in the state of Alabama. But our job is not done.”

O’Brien, who is now 25 weeks pregnant following two additional rounds of IVF, shared how the Supreme Court’s decision last year threatened her own pregnancy.

“I woke up with this feeling that I needed to do something,” O’Brien said. “I could hear my mom saying to me, ‘You work at the Statehouse. You know these legislators. You’re going through IVF. What are you going to do about this?’”

That moment of urgency, she said, sparked the creation of Fight for Alabama Families, which helped organize a groundswell of support last year, sending more than 33,000 emails to lawmakers and bringing hundreds of advocates to the Capitol.

Since the passage of the IVF Immunity Act, more than 400 pregnancies have been made possible in Alabama, O’Brien said. But she and others warned that temporary legal protections aren’t enough to secure the future of IVF in the state.

“Our fight is far from over,” O’Brien said. “The law we passed was a short-term solution, which has already been challenged in court. We anticipate more legal challenges to come.”

I was proud to join IVF families and advocates this morning to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the IVF Immunity Act.

Thanks to this legislation, over 400 pregnancies have been possible. IVF is as pro-life as it gets, and the Legislature is committed to protecting it. pic.twitter.com/6aYIGo8p5o

— Nathaniel Ledbetter (@RepLedbetter) March 6, 2025

House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) who was among the first lawmakers to push for a solution last year, told the crowd that ensuring IVF access in Alabama is a matter of supporting families.

“I think IVF is as pro-life as it gets — it creates families across our state,” Ledbetter said. “What’s happened in just the past year, with over 400 pregnancies and hundreds of children being born, is a blessing. I don’t think there’s any question about it. God has created IVF for families that need it. I think it’s our job as legislators to make sure that this is always available for the people of our state.”

State Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) who sponsored the immunity legislation, said the IVF bill was a rare example of swift bipartisan work.

“Corinn mentioned we passed that bill in five days, and I’ll assure you that all five of those legislative days, and every day in between, that bill changed,” Collins said. “But that’s what you do with really important legislation. You keep making it right.”

For IVF patients like Jamie Heard, the immunity bill meant her clinic could keep operating — and gave her family the chance to try again.

“My son is here today because of the care and the expertise of my doctors and the access I had to treatment in Alabama,” Heard said. “Recently, my husband and I went through another transfer, one that was only possible because of the immunity bill. And while that transfer ended in heartbreak, we still have hope.”

But Heard warned that without permanent protections, families like hers remain vulnerable.

“We cannot afford to go back,” she said. “Fertility treatment gave me my son. Harmful legislation could take that chance away from so many others. We still are in need of full and permanent protection.”

Dr. Mamie McLean, a physician with Alabama Fertility Specialists, called the past year an “extraordinary” moment of advocacy but reminded the crowd that many families are still waiting.

“There are more babies. There are more sisters. There are more brothers. There are more mothers and fathers in our state,” McLean said. “But there are many who remain. They are still working, they are still hoping, and they are still waiting. And so they deserve our support and protection of the treatments that they need.”

With the eyes of the nation still on Alabama after the court ruling sparked national debate over embryo rights, McLean said what happens next matters not just for today’s families, but for generations to come.

“What IVF treatments will be available to your daughters and your daughters’ daughters? To your sons and your sons’ children?” she asked. “We must protect access to high-quality fertility treatments because these days nearly everyone is pro-IVF. But some of our so-called supporters support IVF with restrictions, harmful regulations and asterisks. Alabama families deserve better.”

As the 2025 legislative session continues, advocates said they plan to keep showing up — and keep telling their stories.

“We need a constitutional amendment that would protect the right to IVF in our state,” O’Brien said. “We know this is a longer term battle, and that work starts today.”

Grace Heim is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You can follow her on X @graceeheim or email her at [email protected].