[P]eople on both sides of the abortion wars are embracing embryo donation — not as a weapon, but as a uniting force. The practice has long been embraced by Christian families who might otherwise have qualms about IVF, because it can be seen as a solution to the most troubling part of the process: the disposal of frozen embryos. Lately, though, some advocates have been trying to spread the word about embryo donation beyond religious communities. Removing the Christian wrapping, these advocates say, would attract nontraditional families, raise hopes for would-be parents and promote an option that’s vastly more affordable than IVF.
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The vast reserve of frozen embryos in the U.S. — some estimate there are as many as 1.6 million — is an unintended consequence of IVF, a once-revolutionary, now-commonplace procedure pioneered in the 1970s.
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… of the roughly 133,000 embryos transferred through IVF in 2021, 2.4 percent had been donated, according to the CDC …
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Alena Wright, a neuroscience researcher in Wisconsin who runs Embryo Solution, says donation would help middle-class families who can’t easily spend tens of thousands of dollars on fertility procedures: Acquiring donated embryos costs around $10,000, compared with $20,000-$30,000 for a typical IVF cycle. “Research shows that only 25 percent of the U.S. population can afford IVF. Seventy-five percent cannot afford it,” Wright told me. “That’s shocking. That’s what motivates me. We’re not talking about a small marginalized group that’s underserved.”
From the article:
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