Embryo Adoption
by: Jerry Price - Jan 9, 2006 - comment
Cara and Gregg Vest wanted to have a baby. But five years of fertility treatments and three attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF) had proven unsuccessful. Then they heard about Snowflakes, an embryo adoption ministry (http://www.snowflakes.org). Snowflakes put them in touch with Susanne Gray who had successfully undergone in vitro fertilization treatments and had 23 excess frozen embryos. In May 2002, Cara Vest gave birth to Joshua after Gray’s embryos had been implanted. Of course, the program has its detractors. Susan Crockin, an attorney specializing in reproductive law, says, “The problem with this label [adoption] is it elevates embryos to the status of a child in many people’s minds, and then you end up on a slippery slope. If you can adopt embryos, how can you do stem-cell research on them or discard them?” Good question!
While embryo adoption is still “legally murky,” it seems to be gaining favor among couples who have tried IVF without success and some who are looking for a less costly alternative than many of the risky fertility treatments. Dr. Richard Scott of Reproductive Medicine Associates in New Jersey, the nation’s second largest IVF clinic, says, “I’m getting 10 times as many questions about embryo donation than I had even two years ago.” There are an estimated 100,000 frozen embryos presently stored in the United States.
Suzanne Smalley “A New Baby Debate,” http://www.newsweek.com , March 24, 2003 [Access fee required]
“Nightlight has matched 230 genetic families (with 1584 embryos) with 145 adopting families. To date 81 babies have been born, and 10 adopting families are currently expecting at least 15 babies.”
Frequently Asked Questions (Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program), Revised April 2005
Further Learning
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