This story is from Life News.
Excerpt:
One of the problems with in vitro fertilization is that unused or unwanted embryos are often discarded or destroyed. Unfortunately in 2011, a study in the journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine revealed that 19% of unused embryos are discarded and 3% are donated for scientific research.
However, thankfully, there are many people advocating for “embryo adoptions,” which is the implanting of unwanted or unused embryos in an adoptive mothers’ womb. Although this doesn’t remove all the ethical concerns with artificially creating human beings, it does provide an alternative to discarding embryos and destroying lives.
[…]When Becky and Chris Henderson decided to use in vitro to start their family, they decided to keep their 11 unused embryos on ice because they believed life began at conception. Now another family has been blessed by the Henderson’s unused embryos.
They link to this story from the Christian Post for more:
Two couples have been blessed by one couple’s decision to donate their unused embryos and adopt them out to other couples in need.
“We have been blessed with three when we didn’t think we’d have one, so, what kind of awesome thing is it to bless another couple and let them experience the same kind of joy we did?” Becky Henderson told USA Today.
Henderson and husband Chris gave birth to twins via in vitro fertilization and then had a “miracle baby” five years later. After the twins were born, the couple still had 11 embryos frozen; they decided to keep them on ice until they could come to a decision about what they wanted to do. They both believe that life begins at conception, so they decided to place the embryos up for adoption. Eventually, they found Kelli and Dan Gassman, who were looking to have a family of their own.
The four decided to have an “open adoption” and after the Gassmans welcomed son Trevor and, two years later, daughter Aubrey, they still remain close. They share pictures of the children, who are biologically related.
“It was kind of like a joining of hearts,” Gassman said.
“Having an open adoption with communication helps you get over the fears and the doubts,” Becky said. “The what-ifs? It helps get beyond that.”
Now that the Gassmans have their own children, they have returned the remaining unused embryos to the Hendersons. The Hendersons have found another family to help and will continue to do so until all of the embryos are used.
One of the reasons why I blogged about infertility yesterday is because I wanted to people to plan to marry early and about using IVF. The trouble with IVF, as the Life News article notes, is that there are often leftover embryos. Most people, as they noted, just discard the extra embryos, but this is wrong. Each embryo is a distinct genetic code for a male or female human being. Each one is a boy or a girl. Each one has a right to life equal to any able-bodied adult. You and I were all embryos when we were started off. So in order to avoid having to make tough decisions with these extra embryos, I recommend that people plan to marry earlier and have children normally.
WINTERY KNIGHT 
I’m not necessarily against IVF, but it needs to be done ethically (which means differently that it currently is). IVF as it is currently done turns children into commodities to be bought or discarded at will. People should not be creating more embryos than they are willing to keep and care for. Human embryos are individual human beings. That’s scientific fact, not opinion. It’s not okay to discard “unused” embryos.
If a couple is going to undergo IVF, what they should do is create only a few embryos (say 3-6) and implant all of them (whether all at once or in successive pregnancies). They should consider every one of those lives sacred (because they are) and give every single one of them a chance to live. If they create 6 embryos, implant 3 and get triplets, they don’t get to abandon their other 3 children just because they only wanted 3 kids. They still have a responsibility to care for the 3 embryos they didn’t implant the first time around. They’re still their children.
Adopting out unused embryos is still neglecting one’s children and depriving them of their biological mother and father. It’s better than killing them, but still not what people ought to be doing. Christians, especially, should be thinking about this topic correctly and treating life with respect. So, there are still ethical problems with adopting out embryos, but it’s an acceptable second choice and way better than killing those children.
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I agree, and merely the term “unused embryo” should never be used by a pro-lifer (which is why I am glad you put it in quotes), because it contradicts our most fundamental argument for why abortion, in all stages, is objectively immoral:
1. Human beings have objective and intrinsic moral value. (They are not means to an end.)
2. What is located in the womb (or out) following conception is a human being.
Thus, use of this term plays directly into the hands of the pro-abort.
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