I’ve wrestled with this question a lot: Which messages are most likely to lead Christian parents to explore embryo adoption? And not simply to explore, but to engage fully in the process?
I don’t have a good answer yet because anything I might suggest is purely anecdotal. But what I would like to believe is that several themes might be particularly inspiring:
Compassion. Unless you attend night school because you are a vampire, you have a soft spot for babies. It’s part of the human condition. (Long story. My son Titus and I had a rollicking conversation about this subject over dinner because he prefers to share the story of his day in reverse order, and claims he attends school at night.) The idea of a baby frozen in time is hard to get past. There’s an invisible pull on your heartstrings that moves you to action.
Risk Of Loss. What happens to all of the babies frozen as embryos if all of us choose to do nothing? Well, we know from the data that even embryos thawed for transfer frequently don’t survive the process. And there is a 100 percent chance they will not develop into the people they were meant to be if they are left alone in sub-zero temperatures.
Higher Calling. God gives each of us a different measure of opportunity. Some people donate to causes they believe in. Others march to the front lines and engage in hand-to-hand combat, whether that means holding a sign at a march or meeting with lawmakers. Still other families will feel so strongly about the need to protect these babies that they will adopt. Many will welcome babies. Many will do everything right and still not bring a baby home at the end of this season of life. There are so many risks, and yet for these couples, the potential reward of safeguarding a precious life is overwhelming and important.
Next time, I’ll share three reasons from the other side of the adoption perspective — that of placing families seeking homes for their precious babies.
If you have adopted embryos, what led you to pivot from “thinking about it” to “let’s do this”? Share your experience by posting a comment below.