Britain’s Health Department has destroyed more than 1 million embryos created for fertility treatments over the last 14 years, according to reports. British experts call it “a rather unexpected aspect” of in vitro fertilization. Life advocates say it's much more serious.
“The fact that one embryo is destroyed is an absolute tragedy," said Ron Stoddart, president of California's Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which runs the Snowflakes Adoption Program. "When you start talking about numbers like a million, it’s a holocaust."
Embryos not immediately used in fertility treatments are either frozen or destroyed. In the U.S., there are at least 400,000 frozen embryos. Stoddard estimates 2 percent to 3 percent of those are destroyed each year.
Deb Peters, director of embryo services at Bethany Christian Services, said there's a life-affirming answer: embryo adoption.
“This is a very wonderful and precious gift that donors can give and that adoptive families are so pleased to receive," she said.
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Learn more about the Snowflakes Frozen Embryo Adoption Program.
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