Jacqueline Brock underwent seven years of fertility treatments before a third round of IVF produced two embryos, and one healthy pregnancy. Now, Brock and her husband worry their options could be limited for the remaining embryo amidst a push to give rights to fetuses that are generally ascribed to a person. Natalie Krebs/Side Effects Public Media hide caption For seven years, Jacqueline Brock endured grueling fertility treatments – and all of the emotion that came with them.
“I had to stop going to outings with our friends because they’d bring their kids or talk about their kids, and I would just cry,” she said. “I didn't go to a lot of baby showers and things because I couldn't physically handle it.” Last year, Brock, who lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, James, underwent a third round of in vitro fertilization, or IVF.
It produced two embryos. She had one implanted. This time it worked, resulting in one of the best moments of her life.
“I got a call from our fertility clinic, and all of the nurses and our doctors, they're on the phone. And they all yelled out we were pregnant,” she said. Brock’s daughter, Eloise, was born in January.
But her joy quickly turned to frustration when a month later, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through IVF should be considered children. Brock felt for the women who paused their IVF cycles during the initial confusion in the wake of the ruling. And it made Brock concerned about the couple.
