embryo

Embryo adoption is a third-party reproduction that sprouted from in-vitro fertilization.  Several couples who are physically incapable but financially capable of having a child go for in-vitro fertilization(IVF).  In IVF, too much embryos are produced.  Some of these embryos are donated and are made available for embryo adoption.

Here are some of the reasons that pushes the infertile couples (who own the embryos) to go for embryo adoption:

1.  Much lighter feeling and cleaner conscience

The couple(who owned the embryos) can choose destroy the embryos or have it donated.  Choosing the second option makes them feel lighter because they were able to give another child to live.

Even if the child would be out of their custody, at least he was able to enjoy life and experienced being in a family.  Besides, destruction of embryos doesn’t sound good because embryos are precious living organisms, who have the equal right to live.  Even if emotional attachment might bother the couple, embryo adoption is considered a better decision.

2.   Chance to help other infertile couples

There are some couples who still failed to have a child even after trying IVF or undergoing traditional adoption process.  The infertile couples owning the embryos know how frustrating it is.
And now that they are given the opportunity to help, there’s nothing bad in sharing their delight in having a baby.  Several infertile couples become desperate in hoping to a child.  They undergo different forms of hassles and readily spend out money to make their dream of a complete family come true.  So why be selfish and insensitive to needs of that infertile and to rights of the underdeveloped living thing called embryo?

3.   Chance to know the background of the adoptive couple

Embryo adoption happens with the consent of the donor or the couples owning the embryos.  The owner or the biological donors can ask for some information about the possible adoptive parents.
They can also set conditions that would be followed giving the embryo to adoptive parents.

Infertile couples who are determined to have a child would go for embryo adoption due to the following reasons:

1.  For some couples, it could be the last option

Many infertile couples have tried IVF and inquired in traditional adoption, but then, they still failed.  And here comes another chance of having child by embryo adoption.  Every couple who are dying to have a complete family would normally take the chance by embryo adoption.

2.  Lesser expenses

In-vitro fertilization and traditional adoption requires more expenses than embryo adoption.

3.  Assurance that the child is properly taken care of during the pregnancy period

In embryo adoption, the embryo is injected into the uterus of the adoptive mother.  So, the adoptive couple is certain that during the baby’s development for nine months, no drug or harmful chemicals is taken and that the baby would come out healthy.  Unlike in traditional adoption where the biological mother bears the baby for nine months and give him to the adoptive parents.  During that length of time, the biological mother can have the chance to take in drugs or other substance harmful to the baby.

4.  The adoptive mother is given the experience to bear a child in her womb for nine months

Although bearing a baby for nine months and giving birth is painful, women, mostly mothers, would still choose to undergo in such process and be able to experience the seemingly unbearable pain of having a baby.  It gives them the feeling of fulfillment.

Embryo Adoption is undeniably helpful to infertile parents.  However, it is faced with some ethical issues.   Some are in favor of embryo adoption while some aren’t.

in-vitro fertilization

In-Vitro Fertilization is a process helpful for infertile couples in their dream of having a child.  However, producing too much embryos posed as one of its drawbacks.  But this drawback of IVF is one of the factors that gave birth to embryo adoption.

The excess embryo produced were either stored for later possible use or destroy.  Well, the decision to store or destroy depends upon the couples.  If they’d choose to keep the embryos, then they can surely do but those embryos can’t be kept forever.  The couple who owned the said embryos should come up with a decision sooner.  They can choose to implant the embryo and have another child in their family, destroy the embryos, or donate the said embryos to infertile couples who really want to have a child.

Not capable of having their own children is an to infertile couples.  Many options are provided for them and one of these options is in-vitro fertilization.  IVF is a process wherein more gametes are extracted from the male or female individual.  And because of too many embryos acquired, some are just kept.  The couples who owned the embryos normally does not need all those embryos to become children because its hard to support a large number of siblings.  Some go for temporary storage while some chose to give them to infertile couples who are dying to have a child in their family.

Thus, it could be said that as long as IVF exists embryo adoption would also be around.  Couples who owned the said embryos can’t just go for the destruction of the said embryos.  These couples are emotionally attached to these living things.   And these living things called embryos are valued like humans.  Destroying them would be very painful to the couple owning the embryos.  It’s like removing the innocent child’s right and chance to live.  However, giving them to other infertile couple is still a painful yet seemingly better option. The emotional attachment would still bother the individuals who donated the said gametes.  But that would make them feel lighter because they know the background of the adoptive parents and they are left hopeful that a bright future can possibly be provided to the  child.

Embryo adoption, though it still remains as a controversial issue, serves as one of the ways that gives hope to infertile couples in achieving their dream-that of having a child that would complete their family.

Embryo donation is a form of a third party reproduction. During IVF treatments, couples may produce many embryos in their attempt to conceive. These embryos are cryopreserved or placed in a cold storage for use as needed. If the couple conceives without using all the stored embryos, they may choose to have the remaining embryos destroyed, to donate them for research or implantation, or to make them available for adoption.

Embryo donation is legally considered a property transfer and not an adoption. The term “Embryo Adoption” refers to the procedural elements of the embryo transfer entered into willingly by both the genetic and “adoptive” parents and not the legal classification. Legally, embryo adoption is the same as embryo donation.

Genetic parents entering an embryo adoption program are offered the benefits of selecting the adoptive parents from the agency’s pool of prescreened applicants. Embryo ownership is transferred directly from the genetic parents to the adoptive parents. Genetic parents may be updated by the agency when a successful pregnancy is achieved and when a child(ren) is/are born. The genetic parents and adoptive parents may negotiate their own terms for future contact between the families.

Prospective adoptive parents entering a program complete an application, traditional adoption homestudy, adoption education, health checks and in some cases, depending on the requirements of both the homestudy and placement agencies, court certification of adoption eligibility. Their completed paperwork and fees are submitted to the placement agency, which reviews their file and matches them to genetic parents with similar preferences including desired level of openness post-adoption. Genetic and prospective parents are then given the chance to approve the match. Once all parties agree, the embryo is transferred to the adoptive mother’s clinic for a frozen embryo transfer.

None of the procedures involved with embryo adoption by either the genetic or adopting parents are legal requirements of embryo transfer. The process is entered in to willingly by both sets of parents because of the added safeguards, knowledge and communication offered to both parties by the system.

In the world of adoption, embryo adoption is currently our new frontier, brought about by new and newer technologies. But is it the final frontier? Changing family structures, new attitudes and ideas about “love and marriage,” and a population seeking to become parents later in life are also spurring us onward to new ways of thinking about old ideas.

The question each of us will have to answer for herself or himself is, “just because I can do it, should I do it?” And since the topic is adoption, and adoption is about children, will our answers reflect the best interests of our present and future children?