BOULDER, Colo. — Patients from out of state are sending their frozen eggs and embryos to a facility in Boulder after the U. S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Families believe they will have more choices in Colorado where there are fewer restrictions on reproductive healthcare.
One woman said she shipped her frozen embryos out of Alabama because of a ruling earlier this year from the state's highest court.
At TMRW's biorepository in Boulder, a team stores and manages human reproductive tissues. They are caring for frozen eggs and embryos for thousands of patients. Their job became more critical after the SCOTUS overturned Roe V. Wade.
"Colorado is definitely a more favorable state where they have recognized reproductive freedom is an important part of healthcare," said Kaylena Spies, Director of Biorepository Operations at TMRW. "That is one of the reasons we chose to open our facility here in Colorado because it gives that patient that security the legislature is less likely to get involved in their care."
TMRW works directly with fertility clinics without space to store all of their frozen embryos. They also have opened a direct-to-patient model to offer storage to individual patients. A patient from Alabama elected to store her specimens offsite from her fertility clinic after the state's Supreme Court ruled in February that embryos are considered "unborn children."
"She wanted transparency and peace of mind of how her embryos were stored," Spies said. "With the recent Supreme Court decision within the state of Alabama, it really brought to light patient choice with patients not sure what their choice was when it came to specimen disposition for their embryos."
The ruling from Alabama's Supreme Court said parents could sue an IVF clinic for wrongful death after their embryos were dropped on the floor. The court ruling sparked panic as embryos with abnormalities are routinely discarded as part of IVF to prevent patients from experiencing complications.
Lawmakers in Alabama stepped in and passed a law to protect IVF providers from being sued, but the court ruling still prompted patients to move embryos to other states with fewer restrictive laws like Colorado.
"She can make the decision to discard her embryos," Spies said. "She can make the decision to adopt her embryos. She can make the decision to donate them for research purposes for training purposes."
Spies said after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, TMRW saw an influx of patients.
"They are like I need to get my patients out of Texas because I don't know if I am going to be able to use them or make a decision if I am done creating a family," she said.
TMRW goes through a meticulous process to safely store frozen embryos in Boulder. The patient from Alabama will have her embryos cared for in Colorado when options at home feel limited and uncertain.
"The patient has that peace of mind of where her specimens are stored and can know for certainty that her embryos are safe," Spies said.