NY Times Examines Difficulties Involved With Donated Unused Embryos Created for IVF Treatments

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 15 Jun 2005 - 10:00 PDT

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The New York Times on Sunday examined the difficulties and complexities involved when couples decide to donate unused embryos created for in vitro fertilization treatments. Although some couples initially want to donate their unused embryos to other couples experiencing fertility problems, many change their minds when they realize that embryo donation is more complicated than they anticipated. Psychologists, lawyers and others involved with couples undergoing fertility treatment say that many end up not being comfortable with donating unused embryos in part because of concerns about having a biological child who is being raised by another couple. Of couples just beginning IVF who initially express interest in donating any unused embryos to other couples, nine out of 11 had change their minds three to 10 years later, according to Susan Klock, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and psychology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. According to a 2003 American Society for Reproductive Medicine survey, only 2% of the 400,000 frozen embryos in the United States were earmarked for donation, with the majority of them being stored indefinitely (Belluck, New York Times, 6/12).

Dallas Morning News Examines Debate Over Use of Frozen Embryos
The Dallas Morning News on Sunday examined the debate over what to do with the hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos being stored at fertility clinics in the United States. The issue -- which involves abortion politics, the ethics of embryonic stem cell research and the debate over when life begins and pits religious conservatives against reproductive-rights advocates -- will be difficult to resolve, according to the Morning News (Dodge, Dallas Morning News, 6/12). The Morning News on Sunday also examined embryo adoption (Becker, Dallas Morning News, 6/12).

New York Times

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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