The following is a story of embryo adoption was written by Matthew and Janna Weiler, compiled by the Family Research Council and edited for the purposes of this blog by the Awareness Center.

My son, Sam, was conceived in a laboratory in 2000—the product of IVF. He and thirteen of his siblings were only two cells each when they were frozen by their genetic parents. These fourteen embryos were “extra,” created in case the fresh embryos failed to result in a live birth. Last January, my husband and I adopted all fourteen of those embryos. Our little Sam was the only one out of four embryos to survive all the steps (thawing, dividing, implantation, gestation) necessary to be born last year. The other ten are frozen still, waiting to be born.

Due to deep concerns about the morality of IVF, we never sought a medical solution for our infertility. From the moment of diagnosis, we planned to adopt. Eventually, we chose an adoption agency and started making our way though the stack of application materials. Then one random wintry night we watched “60 Minutes II.” One of the stories that night was about the changing face of IVF. We looked at each other and asked the question that “60 Minutes II” didn’t: “What about the male embryos the couple featured in the program didn’t want?” That night we researched embryo adoption on the web.

I gave birth to my adopted son. It sounds crazy at first. Yet, it’s only crazy because there are babies who need both gestation and adoption. They need the warmth and security of the womb before they can experience the warmth and security of their adopted family.

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