Adoption Option
My sister-in-law asked me for my thoughts on the topic of embryo adoption. Speaking as an adopted child, I think adoption is a fantastic option (thanks, Mom & Dad!). But many people aren't aware of what embryo adoption is.
The process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) generates multiple fertilized eggs (embryos). Doctors and parents then select one (or more) of these tiny human beings to implant in the woman's uterus. There are lots of factors that can go into play in terms of selecting which embryo to implant. Doctors traditionally have wanted to choose the one that seemed the most robust, the most likely to survive the implantation process and survive to birth and beyond. Parents are beginning to have more options in terms of the selection. The ability to select for gender and other factors (such as indicators or markers for disabilities) is also a possibility, and we are getting to the point where selecting for actual physical features (eye color? hair color?) will become more routine.
All of this means that there are little human beings left over from the IVF process. Parents can choose to donate these for scientific research purposes, or opt to have them immediately destroyed, or to keep them in a frozen state. Many couples choose to have them frozen for possible future use. Which means that there is a growing number of frozen embryos - many of which are never used by the parents who created them.
Theologically (as well as biologically), we assert that these embryos are individual, unique human beings. Is the idea of having 5-year old children permanently frozen and in storage some place tenable? I doubt so. 15-year olds, maybe (mostly kidding). So why is it that extremely young children are placed in this predicament?
Because they are not recognized as human beings by our government. They are treated as a biological entity that is under the control of the parents who created it. These frozen embryos are treated as property, nothing more.
But there is a growing movement to adopt these embryos and have them implanted into the adopted mother in the hopes of the embryo surviving and resulting in a fully-formed child being born. However the process of freezing and thawing the embryos is dangerous in itself, and many embryos don't survive either the thawing process itself or the implantation process. Which means that there are many adopted embryos that are implanted but which don't attach to the uterus wall or otherwise don't develop. The pregnancy ends, in much the same way as a miscarriage might, except that the parents will know that the pregnancy wasn't successful, whereas other couples might never even know they were pregnant at this stage of the game.
There are plenty of pros to to embryo adoption. First off, it's cheaper than adopting a child that has already been born (or is soon going to be). $4000-$5000 is cited as the cost by one blog I read. A traditional adoption can cost easily two to ten times that. And it provides a humane treatment for embryos that might otherwise remain frozen or eventually be discarded. It conveys dignity to these tiny people.
Downsides are that the failure rate of embroy implants is fairly high. The blog cited above mentions a woman who had seven such procedures before she was able to carry one to term. That can be a real emotional blow to a couple or family, and they need to be prepared for that. It also means that the lower price tag can be misleading if you have to undergo the process multiple times.
But it's a good option. It's certainly a theologically sound one, in my opinion. A wonderful reminder that these tiniest of people are indeed that - people, not random collections of cells. They deserve to be treated like any other child.
Posted by Paul Nelson at 9/8/2011 8:44 AM 
Categories: Science, Theology, Parenting, Citizenship, Current Events
Categories: Science, Theology, Parenting, Citizenship, Current Events
It seems like a band-aid on a massive evil practice. I wish the human experimentation would stop. It breaks my heart. But if the band-aid results in some children having a chance at life, I am glad. I believe there is a ginormous children's choir in heaven, filled with unborn babies and infants from the ages, and it is growing exponentially this century.
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A well-stated addendum!
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