Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / July 2009

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Paternity Questions About Michael Jackson’s Kids Shine Light on Embryo
Donation/Adoption
July 02, 2009

FULLERTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Entangled in all the controversial
drama surrounding the sudden death of Pop-Icon Michael Jackson is the
issue of his three children’s paternity. With conflicting facts out
there, many people are talking about the possibility that his children
may have been born through embryo donation and adoption. This practice
is not new. Many families are successfully birthing healthy babies
from frozen embryos throughout the United States.

The Snowflakes Frozen Embryo Adoption program (Snowflakes), a service
offered by Nightlight Christian Adoptions, reports that through its
agency alone, 205 babies have been born through embryo donation and
adoption and 13 more babies are expected by January 2010. Statistical
estimates show that nation-wide through all agencies offering this
form of adoption, over 1,500 children have been born and the total
births from embryo donation and adoption are increasing 15 percent
each year.

Here’s a quote from one family that adopted a child this way: “We felt
like everyone had some control. The donor couple selected us, so they
had some choice in the destiny of their surplus embryos. We were
delighted and felt truly blessed to be chosen from a lot of other
needy infertile couples that had also completed a home study (family
assessment) with the adoption agency. Snowflakes actually helped match
the genetic parents of the embryos with our wants as the adopting
couple, and then the clinic completed our successful embryo transfer.”

Snowflakes has a plethora of information on this cutting-edge form of
adoption on its Website. In fact, the following link offers personal
stories from parents who have successfully used embryo donation and
adoption to build their families and those who decided to donate their
own frozen embryos to another family – www.nightlight.org/adoption-videos/.

Just yesterday, Georgia became the first state in the nation to have a
law allowing adoption of an embryo – The Option of Adoption Act. The
law’s language does not specifically define an embryo as a person but
supporters say there’s no mistaking the implication. This move by
Georgia is seen as the first of many similar laws in states throughout
the union and will surely serve to grow the practice of embryo
donation and adoption.