Devout Christians plan to 'adopt' hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos left over from IVF treatments

By James Nye

Published: 09:23 EST, 14 September 2012 | Updated: 10:38 EST, 14 September 2012

There are more than 600,000 frozen embryos in high-tech storage across the United States - and for evangelical Christians that means there are more than half-a-million babies or orphans lying unwanted in test tubes.

Believing that the collection of cells sitting in frozen liquid nitrogen cylinders is a child from the moment of conception, devout Christians in the U.S. are pushing for the adoption of these embryos to stop them being left or destroyed.

Having already received $21 million in federal funding over the past decade to promote embryo adoption groups, hundreds of 'Snowflake' children have been born since 2004 and the process has received the backing of former president George W. Bush.

Maria Lancaster (left) and Jeff Lancaster (right) with their 'Snowflake' daughter Elisha Ramiah who was born after being adopted as an embryo

Since the successful birth of the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown in 1978 in England, IVF treatments have provided millions of couples struggling to have children the chance to build families of their own.

However, the process of in virto fertilisation creates multiple embryos, from which doctors select the healthiest to implant and then parents chose to discard the extras, or have them re-inserted at a time when they are least likely to survive.

The cost of keeping their excess embryos stored for some couples is in excess of $400 a year and some parents have been paying this for over 20 years, while others simply cannot afford it.

The Nightlight Christian Adoptions group estimates that there are over 600,000 frozen embryos currently within the United States and evangelical Christians have become vocal supporters of the Snowflake Frozen Embryo Adoption program and other such adoptive programs.

Elisha Ramiah is nine-years-old and is known as the first 'Snowflake' baby to be born after being adopted as an embryo

While conservative Christians and the Catholic Church have long opposed abortion, they diverge when it comes to embryo adoption.

This is because the Catholic Church is fundamentally opposed to IVF treatments, saying 'It needs to be recognised that the thousands of abandoned embryos represent a situation of injustice that cannot be resolved,' said Vatican theologians in a 2008 bioethics treatise.

However, for the majority of Christians and other parents unable to conceived, embryo adoption is simply another way to take on what they see as unwanted or orphaned children across the country.

Nightlight and their Snowflake program connect the parents of the embryos with parents who want to adopt.

The process is not as legally recognised as adoption, but legal papers are drawn up nonetheless.

Since the first 'test-tube baby' was born in 1978 it is estimated that aroud 600,000 frozen embryos have been stockpiled in the United States

Gabriel and Callie Fluhrer adopted an embryo through the Snowflake program at Nightlight and their child Anna Fluhrer was born in December 2010 from a frozen embryo.

'If we're going to stand against abortion, it's not simply picketing a clinic,' said Gabriel Fluherer, who is a public relations and publishing coordinator for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.

'It's doing the hard work of adopting the orphans around the world, whether embryos or orphans living in China.'

In July of 2006, President George W. Bush invited 'Snowflake' children to join him at the White House to promote the process of embryonic adoption.

Publicly declaring the children around him not to be 'spare parts' Bush gave a boost to the movement and also drew heavy fire from pro-choice critics and supporters of stem-cell research.

At the White House in July was Maria Lancaster and her daughter Elisah, who was born through the Nightlight Christian Adoption 'Snowflakes' program.

'There are thousands of human embryos held in suspended animation, in freezers all over America, and around the world,' explained Maria Lancaster.

'Millions of couples that struggle with infertility yearn to hold a baby in their arms, but are unable to conceive.

'Our program is designed to bring those families together. Our service enables families to find each other, and for the embryos to have a chance to be born, into a loving family.'

Critics of the program view the promotion of embryo adoptions as a Christian plit to elevate the embryo or fetus to constitutionally protected-person status.

They see the support of the former president, who was a vocal critic of embryonic stem cell research, as part of a plan to federally protect the 600,000 or so frozen embryos across the U.S.

In fact, despite the claims of Nightlight, scientists seem to agree that most frozen embryos are not healthy enough to ever become babies.

Surrounded by 'snowflake families,' families that adopted frozen embryos, U.S. President George W. Bush speaks during an East Room event on stem cell research policy July 19, 2006 at the White House.

Indeed, the chance that the embryos will grow to full term is about one in 10 for those frozen for less than five years and even less for those who have been stored for longer.

This is pointed out as the reason why only a few thousand embryos were used as part of the adoption program last year.

More-so, couples using IVF are on the whole usually infertile and even though they can create embryos, it is not guaranteed that the embryo will become a fetus or a child.

However for Maria Lancaster that is not the point.

'I wanted to give weight to the idea that it is a responsibility of the church to stand up and defend all human life, including embryos in the freezer,' said Mrs. Lancaster.