Benjamin couldn’t have been happier although he doesn’t share his daughter’s genes. “As soon as she came out, I fell in love with her,” he said. Meanwhile, Tina was equally thrilled.
“We’re just so thankful and blessed. She’s a precious Christmas gift from the Lord. We’re just so grateful.” She said. “We wanted to adopt, and I don’t know that that isn’t going to be in our future. We may still adopt. This just ended up being the route that we took.”
The NEDC
The National Embryo Donation Center is a faith-based organization founded in 2003, according to Mellinger. “We say that our reason for existence is to protect the sanctity and dignity of the human embryo.” He explained. “We are big advocates of embryo donation and embryo adoption.”
“We will contact the fertility clinic where the embryos are stored, and they are happy to work with us.” He added. “We will adopt out an embryo whenever. Sometimes, embryos have been in storage for a few weeks, maybe a few months. Sometimes, it’s literally been decades.” The fees are generally around $12,500 and are paid by the adopting couple, for a “first try.”
Alternative Roads to Parenthood
Although many people prefer to have biological children, that isn’t always an option. Luckily, there are other options and supports available to help facilitate a couple’s desire to have a family. While using a frozen embryo is a possibility other options are also available.
For example, becoming a foster parent is advantageous for adults and children. Thousands of kids in the U.S. are in foster care, in need of loving and supportive environments. This is a great option as the government also helps relieve some of the financial burden that comes with the responsibility of caring for another human being.