In this new video segment posted on CNN, a family from Iowa decides to grow their family through the adoption of frozen embryos. The couple discusses how excited they were to track their embryos as they were shipped to them before implantation. While two embryos were implanted, to their pleasant surprise they discovered twinning had taken place and they would be expecting three new children — doubling the number of children in their family.
To their credit, this couple celebrates life. They welcome the surprise addition to their family and embrace the joys and challenges that accompany parenthood. But the video fails to mention the fact that frozen embryos present a real challenge for those of us who want to protect life at its earliest stages.
In the United States alone we now have over half a million frozen embryos. These embryos remain in limbo, with their legal statuses unclear and their futures uncertain. Many scientists argue that these surplus embryos should be used for research, others advocate for their adoption, and many remain confused as the best way to move forward.
In the CNN video, the father speaks of the “awesome privilege” it is to carry someone else’s child. Parenting is, indeed, an awesome privilege. But so is the creation of new human life. That’s why at the CBC we oppose the practice of surplus embryo creation and IVF procedures that lead to such practices.
What are we to do with the frozen embryos that are already in existence? That’s a debate for another day. For now, it seems a fitting time to remind readers that creating new life only to freeze it is a violation of human dignity at its earliest stages. And that’s something there should be no debate about whatsoever.
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