Human life is sacred from the moment of fertilization. Nearly one million babies are currently in cryostorage as embryos. These snowflake babies can be a beautiful gift and blessing to families in want of a child. Saralyn and Ben Bracken as well as Tyler and Kayla Nuss join Straight Talk on Life Issues to share their experience with embryo adoption.
Resources
Snowflake adoptions
Nightlight Christian Adoptions is a full-service child placement agency in Los Angeles, California that pioneered the first embryo adoption program in 1997. The program gives couples with remaining embryos the option to choose a family to adopt their embryo and give birth to a precious child. Whether it’s an older embryo or a brand new one, each embryo has the potential to be a unique and precious life. For couples contemplating what to do with their remaining embryos, adoption can be a beautiful and blessed gift for a family in want of a child.
Lives Yet to Be Lived
The birth of Hannah Strege is recorded in history books and has been the subject of university ethics classes. She was the world’s first adopted frozen embryo. Hannah’s origin changed the landscape of possibilities regarding adoption.
Over 700 children and their adoptive parents have followed in Hannah’s tiny footprints. Many more are on their way.
She was born December 31, 1998 and is 21 years old. Where is this young adult now?
Saving Lives with Embryo Adoption
It is estimated there are 400,000 frozen human embryos, left over from in vitro fertilization (IVF), in storage across the nation. While legitimate controversy does exist in the pro-life community over the ethics of IVF, there is near universal agreement that these tiny human beings should be protected and given life, instead of being killed.
Allow me to digress for one moment to quote my colleague, Dr. Willke. It’s important that pro-lifers use the correct terminology when talking about ending the life of human embryos. We should always say that the embryos are “killed” not “destroyed.” Things are destroyed, but human beings are killed. It helps to keep the humanity of this tiny person at the focus of our debate and discussions.
Embryo Adoption Resources
Embryo adoption is a positive, life-affirming way to protect the lives of an estimated 400,000 human embryos held in frozen storage throughout the nation. Even with this high number, there are still more parents willing to adopt embryos than those who have made them available. More awareness regarding the option of embryo adoption will help to ensure that more of these tiny humans are given a chance at life.
Guests
Beth Button is the executive director of the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program. She has a Bachelor of Science in Family Science and has worked in the field of social services for nearly 30 years. She has worked for Nightlight Christian Adoptions in various roles for the past 20 years, including eight years on the Snowflakes team.
Kayla and Tyler Nuss met in college and have been happily married for 15 years, sharing a journey filled with both joy and challenges. After a typical first pregnancy and delivery, they experienced a heartbreaking miscarriage. They were then faced with the difficult reality of secondary infertility. With unwavering determination, after many medicated cycles and intrauterine insemination attempts, they turned to IVF to welcome their son Cole into their lives.
Saralyn and Ben Bracken grew up in Southwest Georgia. They currently live in Atlanta. She works as a respiratory therapist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. And Ben is the owner of Ben Kraken Media, LLC and works as a photographer and videographer.
Leave a Reply