Embryo Adoption: An Opportunity for Life

The world began a new revolution during the second half of the twentieth century. This revolution centered not on industry, but on biotechnology. Researchers unlocked the mysteries of procreation and genetics. The promise of science seduced common sense about the value of human life. Postmodern pluralism embraced the modernist idea of utopia through technology at the cost of the helpless. Yet civilization is no closer to utopia than it was 50 years ago. Instead, we debate a whole host of new ethical dilemmas. Several debates focus on the creation, storage and eventual destiny of millions of human embryos. Hundreds of thousands of lives wait in frozen limbo for parents, politicians, theologians, and scientists to decide whether they live or die. Embryo adoption provides a chance at life. Unfortunately, several ethical obstacles delay acceptance of this option. This paper attempts to address these obstacles and provide justification for embryo adoption. To better understand the ethical issues, I review the history of the embryo dilemma and consider the opposing views on embryo adoption