La. Rev. Stat. § 9:121
This is the official text of La. Rev. Stat. § 9:121, part of Louisiana’s Rev. Stat — part of the compiled statutory law of Louisiana, published by the state as "Rev. Stat." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Human embryo; in vitro fertilization; definition
Official statutory text
Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary and for the purposes of this Chapter the following definitions shall apply:
(1) "Human embryo" means a fertilized human ovum that is biologically human, with certain rights granted by law, composed of one or more living human cells and human genetic material.
(2) "In vitro fertilized human embryo" means a human embryo created through the in vitro fertilization process that has certain rights granted by law and is composed of one or more living human cells and human genetic material so unified and organized that it may develop in utero into an unborn child.
(3) "Nonviable in vitro fertilized human embryo" means an in vitro fertilized human embryo that fails to meet necessary developmental milestones, except when the embryo is in a state of cryopreservation. An embryo shall not be deemed nonviable before seventy-two hours from fertilization. Viability of an in vitro fertilized human embryo is presumed unless it is deemed nonviable.
Acts 1986, No. 964, §1; Acts 2025, No. 116, §1.
(1) "Human embryo" means a fertilized human ovum that is biologically human, with certain rights granted by law, composed of one or more living human cells and human genetic material.
(2) "In vitro fertilized human embryo" means a human embryo created through the in vitro fertilization process that has certain rights granted by law and is composed of one or more living human cells and human genetic material so unified and organized that it may develop in utero into an unborn child.
(3) "Nonviable in vitro fertilized human embryo" means an in vitro fertilized human embryo that fails to meet necessary developmental milestones, except when the embryo is in a state of cryopreservation. An embryo shall not be deemed nonviable before seventy-two hours from fertilization. Viability of an in vitro fertilized human embryo is presumed unless it is deemed nonviable.
Acts 1986, No. 964, §1; Acts 2025, No. 116, §1.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Louisiana?
Find a Louisiana lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.