eth•i•cal [eth-i-kuh l] adjective
1. pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.
2. being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession.
What is our moral obligation toward embryos? Nightlight developed the Snowflakes program in order to give remaining frozen human embryos more respect than they were/are being given in the U.S. and throughout the world. Nightlight believes in supporting children in all stages of their biological development: from the pre-born to the older child waiting in an orphanage system for a family.
The Snowflakes program gives people with remaining embryos the opportunity to give those embryos life - life for which they were originally created. It gives the remaining embryos the greatest respect because they are being treated with the exact same standards applied to children who have already been born and are being adopted. The Snowflakes program was established to help bring about a moral solution to an immoral problem created by medical science: too many remaining embryos in frozen storage. It is a solution that promotes life and not death. Embryos can remain frozen forever - certain death. They can be donated to science - certain death. They can be thawed and discarded - certain death. They can be given to another family in an attempt to give these embryos life - the only life option available to remaining embryos.
Read World Magazine's recent article on the moral imperative of embryo adoption.
Absolutely it's ethical! In my opinion it's no different than adoption, as a matter of fact, I feel that it's better! With embryo transfers, in some cases it's less expensive than a regular IVF cycle & adoption. Also, a couple doesn't have to constantly wait, hope, and pray for a birth mother to pick them. And, if it works, the "adoptive mom" gets to experience pregnancy and all that goes with it along with her spouse. Since I believe that life begins at conception, I also agree with the Snowflake program that those embryos deserve life, as that is why they were created. Personally, I think it would be more unethical to destroy the embryos.