One of the problems with in vitro fertilization is that unused or unwanted embryos are often discarded or destroyed. Unfortunately, in 2011, a study in the journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine revealed that 19% of unused embryos are discarded and 3% are donated for scientific research.
However, thankfully, there are many people advocating for “embryo adoptions,” which is the implanting of unwanted or unused embryos in an adoptive mothers’ womb. Although this doesn’t remove all the ethical concerns with artificially creating human beings, it does provide an alternative to discarding embryos and destroying lives.
Currently, there are several non-profit organizations that promote embryo adoption in the United States. The most well-known is Snowflakes Embryo Adoption and Donation, which has helped more than 350 couples successfully bring their own children into the world.
As LifeNews previously reported, a woman named Inga Wismer adopted a baby through embryo adoption after having two miscarriages and going through a painful adoption disruption. Inga’s story is especially touching because at one time she was pro-abortion and considered aborting her first-born son. In fact, she was sitting inside the abortion clinic when she changed her mind and left.
She said, “I realized I had no right to take another person’s life. I got up and left.” Unbelievably, after she chose life, her husband left her and her friends began to question her decision to keep her baby.
Now she’s the proud mother of a ten-year-old boy and her second husband has adopted her son. They went on to have two more children together and welcomed their third child, Jeremy, through embryo adoption.
Inga told LifeNews the following about the adoption: “Our donation was anonymous through a fertility clinic so we do not know the donors–only their medical history and physical characteristics. Our son can access the records once he turns 18 and connect with his genetic parents if he chooses to and we plan to reveal his birth story to him when it is age appropriate.”
She added, “I feel overwhelming gratitude for the couple who gave us this wonderful gift of life. They are an Irish couple so I like to call my baby my sweet Irish baby!” Inga said their “snowflake baby” weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 20 inches when he was born.
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Initially, Inga was worried that she would struggle bonding with Jeremy but that fear dissipated after he was born. She explained, “During my pregnancy I was worried that the baby might feel unfamiliar as I would not be able to recognize my or my husband’s features in him. I was worried about our bonding, especially after the experience that we had with a failed adoption. However, from the minute I’ve met my son and he looked at me, I felt that he is completely and totally my own. We felt that amazing instant connection that we belong together and everything happened the way it was meant to be. It does not cross my mind that he is adopted– he is miraculously my flesh and my bones even though we do not share the DNA. He is mine!”
Click here to read more about Inga’s decision to reject abortion and her adoption disruption.
