The Urgency of the Embryo Adoption Option
- abbyfeeback
- Dec 11, 2020
- 8 min read
An essay I wrote for my sanctity of life class - December 2020

FIGHT FOR LIFE:
THE URGENCY OF THE EMBRYO ADOPTION OPTION
One Million Children
Those who hold to Christian beliefs and scientific facts can agree the definition of the start of human life is conception. Once a male’s sperm has fertilized a female’s egg, the embryonic process of development begins, and the zygote now has a distinct and unique DNA code from its mother (MedlinePlus). The zygote now, by biological definition, is an individual living organism – a human. Knowing this, the deduction can be made that currently in the United States, there are about 1,000,000 babies frozen in cryopreservation (NEDC) leftover from in vitro fertilization procedures. The lives of these children have intrinsic value, just as the lives of unborn babies, teenagers, and grown adults. The level of awareness of these frozen embryos is low and begs the ethical question of how to move forward with these children. The solution is Embryo Adoption. Embryo Adoption is an imploring and urgent option for couples to choose because of the fight for life, affordability, and desire to carry.
In Vitro Fertilization – What Is It?
Before beginning, it should be noted that this essay will not cover all facts and bases of in vitro fertilization or infertility, but it is integral to understand how these embryos were created and why they are now sitting on ice mid-development. These two topics are extremely important and should be discussed, but this essay will not be the focus – rather the focus will be the urgency of embryo adoption and why it is an attractive and imploring option for couples wanting a family or to grow theirs. About 5,000,000 people in the United States alone struggle with and are affected by infertility – the inability to become pregnant (Clark). This is a very emotional and devastating diagnosis, which is why there are so many fertility treatments – and more being created due to growing technological and scientific advancements! To conceive, many couples go through the process of natural and conventional outlets, and some look to in vitro fertilization. This is one procedure of multiple known as Assisted Reproductive Technologies and is becoming more popular year by year. To undergo IVF, the woman is injected with a hormone to stimulate multiple egg maturity. The doctor will then go in through the woman’s vagina with a small needle to extract the now mature eggs from her ovaries. The male partner or donor will then provide a semen sample (usually by masturbation) – they are then tested to find the healthiest sperms. Both samples of eggs and sperm are collected in petri dishes and are fertilized by mixing the two, or through manual insemination by needle (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). The woman receives another injection to prepare the uterus lining to hold embryos, and a few days after fertilization, multiple embryos are transferred to the womb by catheter. The left-over embryos are then kept in cryopreservation for future cycles, or until the family decides they are done growing their family. IVF usually transfers multiple embryos because usually most do not develop, only one or two, and in some cases three. The couple then anxiously waits for one or more of the embryos begin to develop in hopes the treatment worked. During the process of IVF, couples experience high levels of stress and anxiety (Eugster). There is always a chance the treatment does not work, and the couple will go back in for another cycle of in vitro fertilization.
The Fight for And Value of Cryopreserved Embryos
There has been growing controversy over the participation of IVF considering the left-over embryos. Many of these embryos do not get used and couples must decide what to do with them. They have the options to destroy the embryos (allow them to thaw and die), donate them to medical research (embryos are eventually destroyed), donate them to an infertile couple, or continue paying the annual storage fee to keep their embryos on ice (the length of time a frozen embryo can survive and be viable is currently unknown). As previously stated, the start of human life is conception. On these grounds, the issue is clear with in vitro fertilization as many children are now left with no way to continue developing on their own and in many cases, left to die. Because these embryos are individual human beings, they have a right to be carried in a womb and brought into the world as a growing child. However, these are children that cannot speak for themselves, so the issue often gets overlooked. Participating in embryo adoption allows the prevention of embryos’ inevitable death and transitions these children to a home where shelter and nutrition are provided to allow the child to grow and develop. Embryo adoption is a response to already created life that needs a womb to continue growing the way God intended babies to grow (Wilson). Now, what is the process of embryo adoption?
Within cryopreservation, embryos are frozen in time, unable to continue developing. Embryo adoption is a process that strives to provide these embryos with shelter and nutrition, both of which are necessary for human growth and development, denied in cryopreservation. The process of embryo adoption begins with verifying the ability to carry a child with the woman’s doctor, identifying a clinic with reliable access to embryos, and assuring the couple meets the clinic’s qualifications (these depend on the clinic of choice) (EAAC). Once legal ownership has been transferred from the donating family to the adoptive family, the procedure can begin. The embryo is thawed to room temperature and placed into the adoptive mother’s uterus (Harris) and the family waits to see if the treatment has worked (similar to IVF).
Affordability of Embryo Adoption
There are millions of people who struggle with infertility in the United States alone. Because of this, the fertility market booms every year with families desperately striving to conceive of a child on their own to grow their family. Because of the world’s rampant scientific technology growth, more and more fertility treatments are being created and success rates are growing. In the United States, the fertility market is estimated to net $8 billion (this includes genetic testing, tissue storage, donor clinics, and in vitro fertilization) (Williams). It is a large business to be in, and a costly one. It’s no secret that fertility treatments are expensive. In women 38 years or less, fertility drugs such as Clomid or Letrozole can cost up to $2000, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) costs $500-$4000, and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) costs about $20,000 (FertilityIQ). All of these treatments are extremely expensive and can be debt-inducing for couples to choose from. On average, embryo adoption costs about $8000 (Lester). This makes embryo adoption one of the most affordable and higher percentage of viability out of any fertility treatment. Not only does embryo adoption save the lives of “snowflake” children, but it is also the most cost-effective fertility and adoption option for both fertile and infertile couples.
The Desire to Carry
When making creation, God designed both men and women to procreate and populate the earth (Genesis 1:28 ESV). This was a God-given command to Hid creation, and one mankind has taken on well, noting there are now about 7.6 billion people living on earth. Knowing this, it makes sense why women would have the desire to become pregnant, carry a baby to full term, and bring it into the world through birth. Many men and women go through a phenomenon called “baby fever”, which is the intense emotional desire to have a baby (Pappas). Having children is a natural process of life, and many people want to be involved in carrying on their own genes, furthering the human race, and nurturing their own child that has value. The process of rearing a child also has been linked with positivity, including incredible “experiences such as love, joy, laughter, nurturing, and the perception of children as a gift, as making the family complete”. In embryo adoption, they truly are a gift to families everywhere. This process allows for a couple to naturally carry their adopted baby, giving him or her a home in the womb (including nutrients and shelter to help him or her grow), and providing a stable home life for them to grow up in outside the womb – a chance at life these children would never have in cryopreservation.
The Urgent Option
It should be stated that this essay did not begin to cover the details of the despair and endless battle of infertility in men and women in America. Infertility is a very sensitive topic and one that should always be discussed with a tender heart and open mind. However, there is so much hope for those that struggle with infertility in the option of embryo adoption. Not only does the couple get to adopt a child and raise them as their own, but the woman also has the opportunity to carry him or her for the full nine months of pregnancy and birth. She will see the growth of her womb, feel the baby punch and kick, and have an entire birthing experience, knowing this is her child she bore. This essay is in defense of the 1,000,000 frozen children leftover from in vitro fertilization and the way to help these children have a chance at life they haven’t been given. This also wasn’t an opportunity to discuss the debate if in vitro fertilization is moral or immoral, that is a conversation for another time – but the fact of the matter is that there are children left-over and not being counted as humans with intrinsic rights to life. Embryo adoption is one-way couples can help give life. This is an option for both fertile and infertile couples, an option that should not be taken lightly, but urgently. Each couple is different, but there is a need for these children to be given a chance at life, as they are worthy of life. It is also the most affordable fertility and an adoptive option for those who are unable to naturally conceive or who cannot afford mainstream adoption and allows for these women to carry a baby to full term and have a birthing experience. There is no shame on those who decide to donate their embryos, only a gift for an infertile couple who wishes to adopt. Embryo adoption is a process that is not well known, but it is an incredible opportunity to bring life to “snowflake” children in need of a safe home, and for those who desire to have a baby of their own.
Works Cited
Clark, Peter A. “Ethical Implications of Embryo Adoption.” IntechOpen, IntechOpen, 2 July 2014, www.intechopen.com/books/pluripotent-stem-cell-biology-advances-in-mechanisms-methods-and-models/ethical-implications-of-embryo-adoption.
“Costs of IVF.” FertilityIQ, www.fertilityiq.com/ivf-in-vitro-fertilization/costs-of-ivf.
“Embryo Adoption: Embryo Donation: Adoption Options.” Embryo Adoption Awareness Center, 24 July 2020, embryoadoption.org/.
ESV Single Column Journaling Bible. Crossway Books, 2011.
Eugster, A, and A.J.J.M Vingerhoets. “Psychological Aspects of in Vitro Fertilization: a Review.” Social Science & Medicine, Pergamon, 18 Jan. 1999, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953698003864.
“Fertility Market Overview.” Harris Williams, Harris Williams & Co., 14 Sept. 2020, www.harriswilliams.com/industry-update/fertility-market-overview-0.
“Fetal Development: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htm.
Harris November 02, Nicole. “What Is Embryo Adoption?” Parents, Meredith Corporation, 2 Nov. 2018, www.parents.com/parenting/adoption/what-is-embryo-adoption/.
Lester, Caroline. “Embryo 'Adoption' Is Growing, but It's Getting Tangled in the Abortion Debate.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 17 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/17/health/embryo-adoption-donated-snowflake.html.
Montgomery, Kristen S, et al. “Women's Desire for Pregnancy.” The Journal of Perinatal Education, Lamaze International Inc., 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2920652/.
“National Embryo Donation Center: IVF & Embryo Adoption.” NEDC, 19 Nov. 2020, www.embryodonation.org/.
Pappas, Stephanie. “See One, Want One: The Roots of 'Baby Fever'.” LiveScience, Purch, 7 Sept. 2011, www.livescience.com/15949-baby-fever-reproduction.html.
Wilson, Aaron. “What Christians Should Know About Embryo Adoption.” The Gospel Coalition, 16 Feb. 2017, www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-christians-should-know-about-embryo-adoption/.
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