“I FEAR IVF BEING BANNED”
Caroline Veazey, 30, Birmingham, Alabama
Ihad my first IVF consultation in October 2022. I was single at the time, but I knew I wanted to freeze my eggs. I was told it was better to freeze embryos. Especially being in the LGBTQ+ community, I knew it was something I needed to do.
My first round [of egg retrievals] was in January 2023 at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). I did a second round in July at the Alabama Center for Reproductive Medicine. It went very well and
I now have six frozen embryos of top grade waiting for me.
I met Kandis, my fiancée, in February of 2023 when I was already on my IVF journey. It was somewhat humorous. Four months into our relationship as a lesbian couple, we were going through IVF together. We got engaged at the end of November. We’re definitely a team on this. She’s been my rock.
Obviously, the biggest fear is IVF treatment being banned altogether or having something happen where I won’t be allowed to transfer my embryos out of state. Since the ruling, it has been hell on earth. The [first few days], I was glued to my computer and making phone calls. We called my clinic in Birmingham to ask what we needed to do for them to release my six embryos, but they don’t know when the paperwork will be ready. So even if we were to find somewhere to ship them, we can’t do anything yet.
All of the rules are changing so fast here in Alabama. I’m afraid they’ll say you can’t transfer your embryos out of state. We had a company that was ready to transfer our embryos to Connecticut when the clinic had the paperwork ready, but we just got an email saying they are pausing shipments out of Alabama [for fear of being prosecuted if something happens to the embryos].
I had a full-blown meltdown [recently]. I am so tired. These are my children, according to Alabama, and I have zero access to my six embryos. They’re my children but I can’t touch them. I can’t see them. I can’t say, “Let’s get in the car and go for a ride.” I have seen a couple of companies and clinics offering free services for shipment, but honestly, I worry that they’re going to keep shutting down.
It’s not just about gay and lesbian couples. This affects everyone who has fertility treatment or needs assisted reproductive technology. And other states could follow suit, which is a scary thing.