LifeLink: Frozen Embryo Adoption

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June 2005

In Vitro Fertilization and Frozen Embryo Adoption

The relatively new fertility industry now has a problem: They have about 400,000 human embryos created during in vitro fertilization frozen in storage. America has the largest population of frozen human embryos in the world and much larger than what was originally estimated. According to the clinics, most of these embryos are being held for possible use by their parents who still may use them. However, a large number of them will “never be needed.” These are 400,000 human lives that have been created, unfortunately without much forethought.

Most often, during in vitro fertilization, more embryos are created than are needed. The fertility doctors will then choose the healthiest embryos to implant in the mother’s womb. The remainder are then frozen and often considered “left-over.” “None of us really want to hang on to these embryos in perpetuity,” said David Hoffman, a fertility doctor and past president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Snowflake Embryo Adoption Program

One adoption agency in California has found a solution to the over-abundance of frozen human embryos. Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program (www.Snowflakes.org or (714) 278–1020) offers frozen embryo adoption: Families can adopt these frozen embryos from the biological families who created them. The adoptive mom would then give birth to her own adopted child. This opportunity offers a life-affirming alternative to simply killing the embryos by disposing of them or using them for destructive research. These lives must be respected, no matter how small.

JJ & Tracy’s Story

JJ and Tracy met in college and have been married for 10 years now. After dealing with infertility for some time, they were ready to look into adoption over in vitro fertilization. However, they wanted to experience pregnancy and be responsible for the prenatal care of their baby. Embryo adoption was a way they could be both adoptive and birth parents at the same time. They also believed that God had chosen them to be an instrument on behalf of those preborn babies. Their marriage and infertility were not mistakes. God had a plan all along.

A Texas adoption agency performed a home study to determine that JJ and Tracy would provide a safe home. Then, working through the Nightlight Christian Adoption Agency (which runs the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program), they composed a letter to the genetic family, created an autobiography and a photo collage. After several months, Nightlight matched them with a genetic couple who sent them a letter, pictures of their family, and their medical background information.

On August 5, 2004, JJ and Tracy had their first embryo transfer, implanting three embryos. Then, on August 19, they found out that they were pregnant. One of the embryos survived the transfer and they delivered a healthy baby boy on April 25, 2005. Jack Lewis Jones III, a.k.a. Trey, weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and measured 20¾ inches long. For more information on JJ and Tracy’s story, visit www.jjandtracy.com.

Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program
www.Snowflakes.org
(714) 278–1020