What do you think of this? (Controversial)?

Question

Just curious on your thoughts -

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/719691/embryo_adoption_a_stepbystep_guide.html

I think its wonderful, but I'm sure there's some problems with it too. Please share what you think!!!!

Answer 1

I think its highly unethical and i'm totally against it. The embryos currently have no legal right to their identifying information. There are no laws promising they'll EVER know who they came from and their ancestry or identity. If you guys think adoptees are angry, just wait until you start hearing from more and more DC and AI adults and children. You haven't seen nothin' yet!

Nothing protects their rights, their rights have been completely overlooked and they are being marketed and sold to fullfill others dreams. It couldn't be MORE  unethical.

Talk about complete violation.

*****************************

I'd like to take the time to use this question as a way to inform people of some real issues surrounding DC and AI children / adults. If you believe they have a right to identity please consider the following:

As you may be aware, Parliament in the United Kingdom is considering

amending birth certificates of those born through donor conception.

The International Donor Offspring Alliance (IDOA) is asking all those who

support their aims to endorse their submission to the UK government.

See http://web.jaguarpaw.co.uk/~tom/080408-c...

*** NB. You do not need to live in, or have been conceived in, the UK to

sign. Moreover, progress made in 1 country (in this case, the UK) can help

advance the rights of donor offspring in other countries around the world.

***

IDOA's brief calls upon the UK government to ensure that:

1. Donor-conceived people have birth certificates which record the names of

donors

2. Provision is made which makes it almost impossible for donor-conceived

people not to see that certificate early in their life.

IDOA has considered, anxiously & at length, the tensions between the

legitimate privacy of those involved (and particularly the donor-conceived

themselves) and concluded that, while there is no perfect solution, systems

can be developed which represent an acceptable balance. In its submission,

IDOA has not sought to explore the complexities of competing solutions

because members are more interested at the moment in engaging MPs' interest

in the issue of principle.

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering actively supports IDOA's

position, and over 20 organizations, including many prominent ones (e.g.

Barnardo's, the NCH and NAGALRO) have endorsed BAAF's submission.

To add your endorsement to IDOA's submission, either personally or as a

representative of an organization, please contact IDOA directly ASAP at

david.gollancz@ btinternet. com

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **

ABOUT IDOA: http://web.jaguarpa w.co.uk/idoa

IDOA was formed in 2007 to act as an advocate for those conceived through

the use of donor eggs or sperm. Currently, there are members from the UK,

US, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand & Australia, including donor

offspring (of both sexes; aged 24-64), as well as academics & social work

practitioners who have a professional interest in the field.

IDOA believes that:

* Everyone has the right to know the truth about their own life, including

the manner of their conception & the identity of their biological parents.

* Where the state is involved in providing or regulating donor conception,

it must not cause, promote or collude in deceiving people or depriving them

of information about their own origins; nor may it discriminate against

particular groups in terms of the provision of significant information about

their own lives.

* It follows that the birth certificate of a donor-conceived person must

enable them to know the identity of their biological parents.

Answer 2

Its not somthing I would ever consider for myself. There are so many children who need homes, and these embreyo's are just heading straight down the path of "shopping for the perfect genetics" Could I have part ,harvard grad part model please? hold the fat.

Im sure that "donated" embryos could be the right option for some people but what was wrong with the donated egg/sperm system before? (besides pretty college age girls getting paid 50k for them) But to have all these embryos frozen and sitting around in an embryo bank?  Without extreme regulation I see this quickly heading in a negative direction. Im not getting all fanatical, Im just agaisnt it, and I wont be anything I participate in anytime soon.

Plus what is the research done on the effects of freezing and unfreezing an embryo? ( Not that any human should be the subject of this research)

What do you tell a child?.... oh you were concieved in a jar 30 years ago.... but happy 6th birthday!

Answer 3

This is something I just can't make up my mind about.  I know that it isn't an option for me, so I guess I don't have to - but I still can't quite wrap my mind around it. I wouldn't do it.

I do know someone doing an embryo adoption - an open embryo adoption. The process is just like any other start to adoption: a homestudy, matching process and transfer of legal guardianship before IVF occurs. The couple I know is in contact with the ... biological parents - keeping them updated on the pregnancy.

I do think that like with everything else in adoption - the child has to be told the truth. I would be afraid there would be too much room to keep the truth from the child, and they have the right to know. But I would think that would be tempting (tempting but wrong) - to just pretend the adoptive parents are the biological parents, and leave it at that - you can, after all, give them the story of their birth and show them pictures of mommy pregnant.

I'm curious about what adoptees think - would this have made a difference to you? That your adoptive mom was also the woman who gave birth to you? Are would this make you feel even more frustrated?

Answer 4

It scares me, and I'm not totally sure why.  

I'm very interested in the answers you get.  Interesting article but, again, I found it incredibly disturbing.

Answer 5

I think if a woman thinks it's a good idea she give her baby or ovary up she owes it to the child to one day find them, sit down with them & tell them why she made the decision.  Just because you sign papers doesn't mean you don't owe the child a face to face meeting.  I'll never understand women who hide from the children they gave birth to.  Even a dog wants to keep it's own puppies.

Answer 6

WOW! No way! That's pretty cool :)

Answer 7

I read the article and checked out a few more and the support groups.  To me it sounds like a wonderful idea.  The eggs would be implanted in the adopted mother and she would have the experience of carrying her child and giving birth to the baby.  Therefore, she would be the birth mother.   I would rather see the fertilized eggs adopted and given a chance at life then thrown out in the trash.

Answer 8

Since you asked, Meghananne,

It is both sad & disturbing! From an adoptee's point of view, it is many times worse than traditional adoption. And many times more unethical as well.

I don't expect anyone will listen until thousands of these humans have been created and grow up and speak out. By then, the adoptive parents will have gotten what they wanted, and I guess that's all that really matters, huh? Yes, isn't that just wonderful indeed!

julie j

reunited adoptee

(Silly me, I thought adoption was about providing homes for children who need them...)

Answer 9

Yuck yuck yuck.

I think there's more than enough children already here, already separated from their parents to be taken care of.

They're 'selling' human beings who haven't even been born yet?  It's nauseating.

Answer 10

I've heard of this before.  Obviously, it only is applicable to either male infertility (and the couple decided not to use a sperm donor) or for women who cannot produce viable eggs but can still carry a child to term.  

I'm not sure how I feel about it.  On one hand, I can see why it would be attractive to infertile couples who fit in the above catagories.  After all, the only way you know with a hundred percent certainty that there was no alcohol or drug exposure in utero is if you carry the child yourself!  

I also know it has been happening for about as long as in-vitro fertilization has been happening.  Couples with stored embryos choosing to donate them to other infertile couples rather than destroying them or giving them over for stem cell research.  Considering the time, effort, cost and emotion wrapped around the creation of those embryos, I can certainly sympathize with the idea that the couple doesn't want to just toss them down the drain!  

I've heard of families with children from donor embryos speaking before Congress against stem cell research.  Some of those kids weren't babies, either.  So, this isn't a completely new idea.

On the other hand, I believe this is one of those instances where our technology has exceeded our society's ability to adjust its ethics, morals and legalities.  I think that until society does catch up, there will be problems down the road.  

So, I'm still mulling this one over.

Answer 11

It's a way for infertile couples to start a family but I can't help but think how tormented the child would be not knowing part of his/her identity.

Answer 12

I'm not too sure about it.  I'd have to learn alot more before I offer a sided opinion.

Sometimes I think technology is going too far, but then sometimes I think that God gave us a brain for something!

Answer 13

i think there are serious ethical issues with the practice.  especially because nobody knows how the children of these procedures feel about their conception, in the long run.

i also don't like the fact that having a potential "neurosurgeon, actress..." is used to sell embryo adoption.  isn't parenting about loving the child you get?  it seems too "made to order" for me.

Answer 14

It makes me shudder.  I am adamantly against IVF for so many reasons, and this embryo "adopting" makes me want to vomit.  I sincerely wish the whole practice of creating human embryos in petri dishes was banned outright. An infertile person wanting to have a child is no excuse for playing God.  There is nothing about IVF that is good or ethical.  From the beginning IVF has been fraught with unethical practices by doctors playing God.  Is is the Medical Establishment that has worked long and hard to push this practice into general social acceptance for their own selfish monetary gain.

There is growing evidence that IVF created children are at increased risk for developmental and health problems.  There are some studies that point to IVF being partly responsible for the increase in autism cases in recent years.  The vast majority of IVF babies are never told how it was they were "conceived" nor the fact that their parents are not biologically related to them.

This whole "embryo adoption" is just furthering the glassy-eyed social acceptance of the normalcy of something that is  far beyond what is morally and ethically acceptable and right.  My view on this "embryo adoption" is that it is a misguided attempt at solving just one of the many problems that IVF creates... that problem being hundreds of thousands of "left-over" embryos.  

The unfortunate consequence of this is that it makes IVF even more attractive and socially acceptable, while putting hardly a dent in the countless embryos that are created only to remain frozen for years and eventually destroyed.  My opinion and staunch belief is that IVF should be stopped, not brought even further into mainstream acceptance.

Answer 15

I think in the long run, these children are going to feel the same way that adoptees feel, they will only know about thier heritage from a questionaire that someone filled out. I also find it disturbing.

Answer 16

I can see why this would be very enticing to couples looking to have children.

And that is just the problem, because it is highly likely that these couples would come to this process from the world of infertility and of assisted reproduction -- rather than having thought at all about adoption. I think many or most prospective parents will look at this simply as a technicality, and will not consider that children born in this way might have issues. I think few of them will have had any exposure to the many issues of loss of identity that adoptees feel. And I think many of the people conceived through this method or with "donated" eggs or sperm will have even more issues than "regular" adoptees. And if the parents have not considered the loss and identity issues or worked through their own issues of infertility, they will not parent with these issues in mind and also may not tell their children how they were conceived until much later. Because of this, I think the loss and identity issue may be severely exacerbated. I think a lot of people conceived in these ways may be VERY lost and hurt and angry -- and rightly so.

I think as a society we need to think long and hard about these issues and work through the moral and ethical issues and actually think how the people conceived by these methods will feel -- BEFORE we start making these methods of conception available. As it is, once some method of assisted reproduction becomes possible, it is put into place, regardless of any issues that might come up. I think that is a big mistake and the people conceived will suffer for it.

Answer 17

With all good that technology brings, there is a chance for it to be used for evil.  (Now, you think I am against this 100%, don't you?!)

I have to say, I am against selling these embryos to the highest bidder.  Costs should be to help cover costs incurred by the couple, but beyond that, nope.

This would not have been an option for us, and even so, I think it is a very nice idea.  I am one that believes firmly that life begins at conception, and that this would be a super alternative to destroying these embryos that science helped create and giving them a life beyond the test tube and then the dumpsters when they are no longer wanted.

It would have to be regulated, but I am for this, as an alternative for family building if it is done wih ethical guidelines.  (Ethical acording to who?  Well, thankfully that is not for me to say, I wouldn't want that job of writing all the rules here.)