Saving embryos in stem cell science and embryo adoption

Abstract

The million frozen human embryos accumulated in IVF clinic freezers across the United States have become premier targets for saving by groups committed to repurposing reproductive remainders. Based on twenty-seven months (2008–2013) of ethnographic research within a Christian embryo adoption program and an embryo biobank for stem cell research, this article examines the motivations and practices involved in transforming leftover IVF embryos from a remaindered to a repurposed state. A focus on saving illuminates how moral discourses, economic logics, and biomedical issues conspire in shaping futures as well as modes of care in the present. Embryo repurposing programs use similar saving practices for different reasons, assume responsibility for repurposing IVF embryos, and strive to transform them into revalued forms for new futures. Fluctuating factors beyond the cryopreservation tank multiply rather than stabilize embryo potential. As a dynamic, open-ended process, saving requires programs to adjust strategies over time and wait.

Keywords

• embryo disposition
• in vitro fertilization
• human embryonic stem cell research
• embryo adoption
• united states