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Boston's Morning Newsletter
'Gut punch': Rep. Lori Trahan reacts to Alabama ruling on IVF
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While you may see some snow flurries this morning, things will be warming up over the next week or two — with temps reaching into the 50s (and maybe even 60) over the next few days. (And yes, your teenage son will try to wear shorts.)
Now to the news:
IVF fallout: For U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, the Alabama court ruling declaring frozen embryos used in the process of in vitro fertilization are children is a “gut punch.” The Massachusetts congresswoman and her husband used IVF to have their two daughters. While she doesn’t often talk about the physically and emotionally grueling process, the Westford Democrat is now opening up out of concerns for others struggling with fertility. “The idea of a family who has gone through every possible option before finally turning — or being about to turn— to IVF having that option ripped away from them is a pain I just can’t imagine,” Trahan told WBUR’s Dave Faneuf.
- Zoom in: Currently, the impacts of the Feb. 16 ruling are limited to Alabama, where at least three providers have paused IVF treatments. (By declaring embryos to be “extrauterine children,” it raises the risks for IVF providers since frozen lab-grown embryos often don’t survive the process.) Republican elected officials in Alabama — and across the country — have responded by pushing to protect IVF.
- How does IVF work? Why are so many frozen embryos created in the process? Read this explainer for more on the science.
- Zoom out: Still, Trahan fears similar rulings could spread across red states, where anti-abortion activists have pushed to expand the definition of personhood. While Massachusetts saw an uptick in out-of-state abortion patients following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, Trahan says the logistics of traveling out of state for IVF would be “very difficult.” There’s federal legislation in Congress that would protect IVF, but Trahan says she doubts it will get a hearing or vote in the Republican-controlled House.
- The local angle: Massachusetts native Elizabeth Carr — the first baby born via IVF in the U.S. — wrote a new essay published this morning for our Cognoscenti opinion section responding to the Alabama news: “For the first time in my 42 years of life, I feel like an endangered species.”
Heads up: Months of weekday lane closures on the Tobin Bridge begin today. MassDOT will be closing one of the bridge’s southbound lanes from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every weekday. While the single-lane closures were designed to dodge the morning rush hour and keep traffic moving through the other two lanes, officials are still alerting drivers to prepare for delays.
- What’s the reason for the closures? The 75-year-old bridge has been flaking hazardous lead paint chips onto the communities below. So, as part of a $100 million maintenance project, crews will be repairing the steel, removing old paint and repainting the bridge.
- What’s the timeline? Expect the lane closures to continue through the end 2024 (weather permitting), according to MassDOT.
We gotta make a decision: Due to delays in the FAFSA process, some Massachusetts colleges and universities are giving high school seniors an extra month to decide on where to enroll — extending what’s usually a May 1 deadline. According to The Boston Globe, Emerson College, Suffolk University, Massachusetts College of Art and three UMass campuses (Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell) extended their deadlines until June 1. Williams College has also pushed its deadline to May 15.
- Why the extra time? The FAFSA delays mean many schools won’t be able to send out their financial aid offers until April, per NPR.
About last week: AT&T says it will give customers affected by last week’s cell phone network outage $5 to compensate them. Expect to see the credit on your account within two billing cycles.
P.S.— WBUR is looking to connect with people who attended or worked for Boston Public Schools during the desegregation of the district’s busing — especially those who have children in Greater Boston schools today. Even if you just have a thought or memory from that time, please reply to this email or reach out directly to WBUR education editor Suevon Lee at suevon@bu.edu. Your story could be considered for an upcoming series on the busing era as its 50th anniversary approaches.
