After Alabama rules that frozen embryos are children, some fertility patients pray that lawmakers find a solution.

When Alabama’s Supreme Court defined frozen embryos as children, the shock and confusion was immediate. Major hospitals pulled fertility services and would-be parents scrambled for clarity on what would happen next.

The debate over reproductive rights in America has long been driven, in part, by opposition to abortion from Christian groups - but this ruling has divided that movement and ignited debate about the role of theology in US lawmaking.

  • MagicShel@programming.dev
    37·
    9 months ago

    Can I just ask why more babies being born is seen as a moral good? I’m dumbfounded because I’ve honestly never in fifty years heard this talking point before.

      • KingOfSleep@lemmy.ca
        36·
        9 months ago

        When the line “be fruitful and multiply” was first written there were fewer humans on the planet than now live in Houston.

        • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
          171·
          9 months ago

          Ehhh, a bit more than Houston. By 2000 BCE there were 20,000,000 humans on the planet, though I believe the majority of those were in China. Genesis was written between 1500-1200 BCE.

    • pacmondo
      373·
      9 months ago

      A bunch of white people in the united states are worried about birth rates because immigrant birth rates are high whereas white birth rates are on the decline. They’re worried about white people becoming a minority because even though if you asked them they would say no, they know that minorities are treated poorly here.

      • RattlerSix@lemmy.world
        24·
        9 months ago

        Yep. It’s called “replacement theory” and it’s a core belief among racist organizations like Nazis, the Aryan nation and the KKK. It’s also talked about constantly on Fox News and other right wing media.

        • 4am@lemm.ee
          5·
          9 months ago

          Oh for sure, but the problem is they’re preaching is subtly and if you were’t already on alert that it’s bullshit, it can end up normalizing for some people since it’s not usually framed as “white vs black/brown” but as “ Americans vs enemies”, which sounds a lot less racially charged to mega normies who pay more attention to football and soap operas than they do to politics.

        • ThatFembyWho@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          3·
          9 months ago

          core belief among racist organizations

          A bit outdated examples, try these:

          CPAC, RNC, John Birch Society, Heritage Foundation

      • ThatFembyWho@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        8·
        9 months ago

        This is also behind the trans panic and concurrent anti-LGBTQ legislation in conservative states.

        Sure, they’ll package it with scripture and moralizing, but in the end? It’s all about fear.

        • pacmondo
          1·
          9 months ago

          Yes, I was just alluding to the fact that majorities typically don’t like to talk about it.

      • MagicShel@programming.dev
        16·
        9 months ago

        I’ve seen the interview. You can tell the guy is just completely lost in the conversation.

        But my question is this: I understand the assertion that embryos are somehow human, whatever, and I have a sort of begrudging respect for anyone who commits to that and opposes abortion because it is murder. Fine. Like politically and morally I’m completely opposed to that and I will fight them every step of the way, but at least I can understand and respect their commitment. I think it’s valid to oppose abortion on those grounds, I suppose.

        But if the argument is that abortion is wrong because we need more babies to be born, that is a completely different argument. That one says abortion needs to be illegal not because it’s killing babies, but because we have to force women to have babies against their will because babies are good.

        And don’t come at me with, “they’ve always just been about control and forced birth” because I know that but I also know there are individual people who are just really committed to the idea of embryos as human life. And the right was sort of constrained by the need to keep that particular wool pulled over those particular eyes.

        Is this the moment the mask comes off? I’m just… gobsmacked, really. Killing Roe was the absolute worst thing the GOP could do and everyone knows it. They fucking know it. You would think they would try to settle on making some ground to move the arrow, but walk it back a little bit to cool some of the outrage. But no!

        I’m just… this is insane.