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THE UNITED STATES MIGHT NEVER HAVE EXISTED IF IT WEREN’T FOR IN VITRO FERTILIZATION AND THAT INCLUDES MY GUEST, ELIZABETH CARR. IN FACT, SHE WAS THE FIRST PERSON BORN IN THE UNITED STATES AS A RESULT OF IVF. THAT WAS 42 YEARS AGO. SINCE THEN, CARR HAS USED HER PLATFORM TO ADVOCATE FOR IVF TREATMENT AND FOR ITS PROTECTION BY LAW, SOMETHING THAT BECAME A NATIONAL HEADLINE FOLLOWING THE RECENT ALABAMA SUPREME COURT RULING. IN THAT RULING, A JUDGE DECLARED THAT THE FROZEN EMBRYOS CREATED THROUGH IVF SHOULD BE CONSIDERED CHILDREN. ELIZABETH CARR, NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH ME. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. OF COURSE. WHEN DID YOU LEARN FIRST THAT YOU WERE AN IVF BABY? WHEN I WAS ABOUT 6 OR 7. UH, WE HAD A MOTHER’S DAY REUNION AT THE CLINIC WHERE I WAS BORN DOWN IN VIRGINIA, AND WE WERE SCREENING A NOVA DOCUMENTARY OF MY BIRTH. AND THAT’S WHEN IT REALLY HIT ME. OH, SO THIS WAS HISTORIC. THIS WAS A BIG DEAL. TAKE ME BACK TO YOUR PARENTS DECISIONS. WHAT LED THEM TO IVF? SO MY PARENTS, THEY WANTED A BIG FAMILY WHEN THEY STARTED TRYING, THEY FOUND OUT VERY QUICKLY. MY MOTHER COULD GET PREGNANT BUT NOT STAY PREGNANT. AND SHE HAD SOMETHING CALLED AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY, WHICH IS A TUBAL PREGNANCY. SHE HAD THREE OF THOSE IN A ROW AND SO ON. THE THIRD ONE, THE DOCTOR SAID TO HER, WE NEED TO TAKE YOUR FALLOPIAN TUBES. AND SO AFTER THE SURGERY, SHE’S RECOVERING. SHE GOES INTO HER OBGYN GYN AND HE SAYS, WELL, I JUST CAME BACK FROM A CONFERENCE WHERE I LEARNED ABOUT THIS THING THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN ENGLAND CALLED IVF. MAYBE IT’S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD EXPLORE. SO WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS ALABAMA JUDGE’S RULING AROUND IVF, WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST THOUGHTS AND WHAT WERE YOUR BIGGEST CONCERNS? I WAS ON VACATION WITH MY FAMILY. WE’RE RELAXING. I’M READING THE NEWS, AS I ALWAYS DO, AND I SEE THE NEWS ABOUT ALABAMA. AND MY FIRST GUT INSTINCT WAS TO READ THIS ALOUD TO MY FAMILY, TO START TO PROCESS THIS, AND WE ALL KIND OF TOOK THIS COLLECTIVE OF, OH MY GOODNESS, THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN. AND THEN IN THE SAME BREATH, I LOOKED AT MY HUSBAND AND I SAID, BUT I’M NOT SHOCKED. YOU’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A LONG TIME. EXPLAIN FOR PEOPLE WHY YOU WERE THROWING UP RED FLAGS. SO IN THIS CREATING IVF, WE HAD SOME PROTECTION UNDER ROE V WADE FOR THE THINGS THAT ARE NECESSARY IN IVF, WHETHER IT’S MEDICALLY NECESSARY ABORTION OR FREEZING THESE EMBRYOS. SO WHEN THE DOBBS DECISION CAME DOWN, MYSELF AND OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS VERY CLOSELY REALLY REALIZED, OH MY GOODNESS, THIS IS THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH BEFORE. MOST PEOPLE REALLY DON’T HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF THE OVERLAP WITH IVF AND ABORTION LAW, AND WHAT IT REALLY MEANS FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO HAVE A KID OR NOT. THAT’S THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE. THE ONE THING I SAW WHEN I WAS DOWN IN DC TALKING WITH ALL THESE LAWMAKERS, WAS THAT THERE WAS STILL SOME LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT IVF REALLY ENTAILS AND WHAT IT IS. SO DO YOU THINK CONGRESS NEEDS TO STEP IN TO PROTECT IVF? DO YOU THINK THAT’S ACTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN? SO THERE IS A BILL THAT IS CURRENTLY IN COMMITTEE THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY PROTECT IVF ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. AND I AM CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC THAT WE COULD GET THAT PASSED. WHAT’S MAKING YOU OPTIMISTIC? BECAUSE SOMETIMES I THINK THAT EVEN PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY SUPPORT IVF, F AREN’T NECESSARILY WILLING TO FIGHT FOR IT POLITICALLY. IVF DOESN’T CARE WHAT YOUR POLITICS ARE. IT AFFECTS 1 IN 6 PEOPLE, AND IT DOESN’T JUST AFFECT THOSE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH INFERTILITY TREATMENTS. IT AFFECTS PEOPLE THAT ARE BUILDING THEIR FAMILIES THAT ARE LGBTQ. IT AFFECTS PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO GENETIC SCREENING. IT AFFECTS PEOPLE WHO WANT TO FREEZE THEIR EGGS TO PRESERVE THEIR FERTILITY. BEFORE GOING THROUGH CANCER TREATMENT. IT’S AN ISSUE NOW THAT AFFECTS SO MANY MORE PEOPLE. I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE CONTINUE TO SEE WHO ARE THE PEOPLE USING THESE TECHNOLOGIES TO BUILD THEIR FAMILY AND JUST REGULAR PEOPLE. EXACTLY. ELIZABET