NY Times Summary #2
Abstract
The article “Embryo ‘Adoption’ Is Growing, but It’s Getting Tangled in the Abortion Debate” by Caroline Lester published February 17th, 2019 by The New York Times describes the idea of embryo adoption. I.V.F is becoming more popular while the number of spare embryos as a result are also increasing. Among couples who oppose abortion, the adoption of frozen embryos process of birth is becoming more popular. The article states however that the companies that offer donated embryos are affiliated with anti-abortion rights or Christian organizations. It has been estimated that there are between 600,000 and one million frozen embryos in the United States. The strict rules of these companies make it very difficult to adopt an embryo for some individuals. Due to the donors of the embryo being involved in the selection process, if there is a client who is LGBT or identifies as an atheist, they are often advised to try other embryo transfer programs not religiously affiliated. Embryo adoption is a good alternative to natural pregnancy. It provides a healthy alternative that aligns with their religious beliefs on life beginning at conception. However, the selection process should not be as rigorous as it is. You should not be turned away from the chance of adopting an embryo based on religion or sex or any other reason.
NY Times Article Summary and Response #2
The article “Embryo ‘Adoption’ Is Growing, but It’s Getting Tangled in the Abortion Debate” by Caroline Lester published February 17th, 2019 by The New York Times opens with Christians, Paul and Susan Lim making the decision to “adopt” the frozen embryo of another couple who gone through I.V.F as opposed to going through the I.V.F process themselves due to the I.V.F process often yielding extra embryos along with believing the life begins at conception. The article then gives Dr. Lim’s perspective on adopting embryos stating, “These children are being abandoned in a frozen state… If they don’t get adopted, they’re dead.” I.V.F is becoming more popular while the number of spare embryos as a result are also increasing. Among couples who oppose abortion, the adoption of frozen embryos process of birth is becoming more popular. However, the article states that among companies that offer donated embryos, including one’s receiving federal grants, are affiliated with anti-abortion rights or Christian organizations. The problem in the medical community involves the term “adoption” being applied to the process giving it too much “personhood” to the embryo. The article then gives statistics regarding I.V.F and frozen embryos stating that, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 260,000 attempts at I.V.F. in 2016…” further stating that about 150,000 of those attempts resulted in a transfer of embryos. The article also gives an estimate of the number of frozen embryos in the United States between 600,000 and one million. Donating Embryos is the least expensive alternative to pregnancy averaging about $8,000, where I.V.F may cost around $12,000 to $17,000. A grant program named Embryo Awareness Adoption Program is ran by the Department of Health and Human Services with a steady funding of about $1 million a year. In the article, Robert Scholle states, “The embryo adoption program is a competitive grant program and awards are made to the eligible applicants who have the best applications that meet the criteria.” Due to the donors of the embryo being involved in the selection process, if there is a client who is LGBT or identifies as an atheist, they are often advised to try other embryo transfer programs not religiously affiliated.
Based on the article, the donation of embryos is a good alternative to natural pregnancy. This can be a good option for those who choose to not go through the I.V.F process in fear of extra embryos being created, mainly Christians feeling this way. It provides a healthy alternative that aligns with their religious beliefs on life beginning at conception. However, the selection process should not be as rigorous as it is. You should not be turned away from the chance of adopting an embryo based on religion or sex or any other reason. It’s not fair as everyone should have a fair chance to have a child. The process of donating and adopting embryos is a major step in the medical field as many people suffer from infertility problems and this also allows for a cost effective and productive alternative to natural pregnancy.
