Hospital pauses IVF in wake of ruling saying frozen embryos are children

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos can be considered children under state law (Kim Chandler/AP)

Alabama’s largest hospital paused IVF treatments on Wednesday as providers and patients across the state scrambled to assess the impact of a court ruling that said frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham health system said in a statement that it must evaluate whether its patients or doctors could face criminal charges or punitive damages for undergoing IVF treatments.