20-Year-Old Embryo Becomes Baby Boy

[The Straight Story]

20-Year-Old Embryo Becomes Baby Boy

The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine at the Eastern Virginia Medical School has achieved another milestone. Back in 1981, the Jones Institute conducted the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the United States. This time, its doctors helped bring a 20-year-old frozen embryo to life by implanting it in a 42-year-old woman who gave birth to a baby boy in May. Previously, the oldest successful frozen embryo was 13 years old.

The two-decade-old embryo was donated by a couple who used IVF in 1990, but had finished having children and decided to donate their remaining frozen embryos to other couples. Although born to different parents, the children are all biological siblings, born 20 years apart.

http://www.allgov.com/Unusual_News/ViewNews/20_Year_Old_Embryo_Becomes_Baby_Boy_101016

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ecstatic]

2. Were they offered a discount? Why did they use such an old

embryo?

[stray cat]

3. From disposable parasite to human?

[Cal33]

8. Hardly! An excellent way for childless couples to have children

as close to the natural way as possible.

[Gman]

4. This is just plain wrong

there are so many moral and ethical issues here. To begin with just how do they expect to explain to the child what is lineage is? It gets worse from there.

[Cal33]

6. I suppose the facility storing the embryos have all the records. And

these can be passed on to the future parents. In this respect it is
better for the parents, especially for the woman who will go through
the natural process of pregnancy and of giving birth. The parents
will go through all the emotions of a natural pregnancy and giving
birth. What could be "wrong" about it?

[Dorian Gray]

28. The same way you would tell an adopted child

what his or her lineage is.

[Cal33]

5. I suppose this will be of great benefit to those childless couples, who

want children badly. With frozen embryos in store, they can have an implant
at any time they choose. It will take 9 months for the embryo to develop and
be born, and the parents would feel like real parents. It is a blessing!

[shraby]

7. They wouldn't just feel like real parents, they ARE real parents.

[Cal33]

9. Yes, If that's the way you feel about it. :)

[kiva]

12. "real parents"

I'll be sure and mention this to my friends who have just adopted their daughter :eyes: They'll be thrilled to know they aren't real parents since she didn't give birth.

edit for spelling

[Cal33]

15. I imagine there will be a slight difference "feelingwise." A lot

will depend on the individual parents, of course. There are some parents
who don't care too much about their natural-born, genetic children.

[LibertyLover]

22. According to my husband who has experience with being a parent

naturally and by adoption, there is no difference whatsoever in how much he loves his children by his first wife and our adopted daughter. Since I'm only a mother via adoption I can't tell, but I do know one thing for certain - I am my daughter's mom and I love her as I have never loved anybody in my entire life.

[Cal33]

24. I am happy for you both. I wish more people were like you. Blessings on you.

[eilen]

10. I don't know how I feel about this--I go back and forth

It reminds me of a baby boutique when there are so many needy kids out there already.

I feel bad for people who want badly to have children yet the people I see in the media who have literal litters of kids due to IVF (Octomom, that horrible reality show +8) make me want to vomit. Part of me feels that some people, when told that reproduction is not in the cards for them, seem to just want it more and it does seem like there is perspective loss in the pursuit of natural birth. Then, I think about all the children in poverty, the foster children, the kids who are here and also, the population burden.

While abortion is still a hot button issue, why is this not as controversial? I have a friend who has been trying to have a baby... she has two kids already grown and has been going through all kinds of emotional upheaval between the hormones and the lost embryos/failed pregnancies. She has 2 embryos left and is in her mid-40's. I want her to be happy but really, is this the right route for happiness?

I can't speak as a childfree person as I do have one child. I can't imagine having more than one at at time d/t just the immense need of the newborn and as he/she grows up. I am concerned about the world he is about to enter, there are little in career prospects in which he can actually support himself. Perhaps the instinct for immortality --to continue the species is too strong for many people to endure without fulfillment.

It is a topic that I am frequently conflicted about.

[SoCalDem]

11. I see a "movie of the week" here..

fast forward 18 years..and a college couple meet & fall in love, only to find out later that they are biological brother & sister:(

[tblue37]

32. Keep in mind that every person alive today is descended from a long,

long line of ancestors who probably had a strong drive to reproduce. The ones with that drive would be the ones most likely to reproduce. Consequently, the desire to reproduce has been selected for, so it is no surprise that so many people feel driven to have children. I am just glad that some of that drive is able to be directed toward the idea of having children, rather than only toward the impulse to get one's own genetic material into the next generation. If such redirection were not possible, we wouldn't see so many happy adoptions.

[cleanhippie]

13. Considering how many unwanted children there are...

why anyone would do this instead of adopting one of the MILLIONS of children that NEED parents is beyond me.

[Cal33]

16. Different people have different needs, and not all of those needs are healthy ones.

[cleanhippie]

17. Needs?

I would say that the only ones that have any NEEDS are the children without parents. The rest are wants, not needs, no?

[Cal33]

26. I guess you are more accurate. I used the word needs a bit too broadly.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

14. If life begins at conception that infant can vote, and can buy alcohol next year

[lunatica]

18. WTF! Why?

Really. Why? I can see how it's a scientific wonder, but why freeze embryos when childless people can adopt from hundreds of thousands, if not millions of living children? You can't always have life exactly as you want it. Just ask the millions of orphans.

[Maru Kitteh]

30. Why not.

It's really no different at all from other IVF procedures.

Millions of orphans? I'm sorry. The notion that there are these millions of kids just sitting around waiting to be adopted, that it's just so damn easy to adopt kids - it's stupid misinformed. Really.

[AnnieBW]

19. Oh, great

Now the Fundies will be even more in a tizzy about people adopting "snowflake babies". Apparently, it's VERY difficult to get a match that isn't rejected by the woman's body. Then it would be an abortion...er... miscarriage.

[Arugula Latte]

20. I hope the baby doesn't have freezer burn

:hide:

[donco6]

23. They must have used Ziplock. They're 3 Mils thick!

:)

[Arugula Latte]

25. Maybe even double bagged.

:)

[spanone]

21. using right wing logic, he's 20 years behind in paying his taxes

[Terra Alta]

29. next year, he'll be old enough to buy beer!

:P

[Posteritatis]

27. So much kneejerk outrage.. (nt)

[Canuckistanian]

31. If someone played some Depeche Mode, would he automatically start dancing?

That's what I keep thinking about.