Snowflakes -
a different kind of adoption

Ever wonder what happens to the leftover embryos from in-vitro fertilization clinic procedures? Well, they used to be either thrown away or left indefinitely frozen until somebody decided to do something with them.

Now there’s another alternative - adoption. A program called Snowflakes looks for couples that want to adopt one or more embryos. It’s an adoption program just like any other, including a home study, but in this program, the adoptive mother carries the baby until the baby is ready to be born.

So far there have been 13 babies born in the program, according to CBS news. The couples who have adopted are thrilled. One mother commented on the Showflake website, "It's an incredible concept that I am both birthmother and adopting mother. I will provide oxygen, nutrients, a warm place to grow, and love. What an awesome story we'll have to tell our children - that God let one family start them and another family complete them."

Snowflakes would like to find adoptive parents for all the embryos currently waiting in the cold. Their choice of the name for their program tells why they are so dedicated to their task. The website says, "Like snowflakes, each embryo is fragile, unique and the most beautiful of God's creations."

A big thank-you to the marvellous people of Snowflakes who work to find a safe warm place for each of these tiny ones.

Maybe interested? Take a look at their website www.snowflakes.org

Information from the Pro-Life Infonet 6/29/02 #2741 and Snowflakes website.