Are remaining frozen human embryos destined for destruction?

People today may be under the impression that the 500,000+ human embryos currently in frozen storage in the United States are simply destined to be destroyed and therefore are readily available for any use. 

Actually, couples with remaining embryos from their In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments have several options for the disposition of those embryos: 

1.) Use them for their own family building 

2.) Donate them to another couple for family building 

3.) Donate them to science 

4.) Keep them frozen indefinitely 

5.) Discard them 

A public opinion survey carried out in June of 2009 showed a majority of respondents from the general public preferred donation to another couple as a disposition choice.  In fact, 68.8 percent prefer the embryos be donated to another couple for family building, while 19.5 percent prefer donation to scientific research.

The survey, "Public Opinion Regarding the Disposition of Frozen Human Embryos," also found that nearly twice as many people (82.2 percent) had heard about embryo donation to stem cell research in the past six months than had heard about embryos being donated to another couple (37.1 percent).

Many embryos remain in frozen storage because the couple who had them created has now completed their family building.  They know that the children they now have in their family are the genetic siblings of these same embryos – which gives them a special connection to the remaining embryos. This knowledge can lead to difficulty in determining the best disposition option for the remaining embryos.

The family for whom the embryos were created owns them and will decide their ultimate fate. For embryo adoption proponents, the good news is that, according to this survey, 68.8 percent of the general public would prefer the embryos be donated to another couple for family building, while 19.5 % would prefer donation to scientific research.

To read the entire results of the public opinion survey, click here. To find out more about Embryo Donation and Adoption, visit the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center.