Protecting Embryos

Subtopics

Good News: You were once an embryo!

To make it simple, here’s the definition of a human embryo: an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development, in particular a human offspring during the period from approximately the second to the eighth week after fertilization (after which it is usually termed a fetus).

Louisiana Right to Life believes that destroying and discarding embryos, as well as using them for medical research, through embryonic stem cell research for example, is unethical. In our modern society, some have accepted this practice as a consequence to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and agree to have their “leftover” embryos destroyed, left in storage or become the subject of a lab experiment.

Unfortunately, in the United States, there are nearly one-million embryos in storage, and some couples struggle with guilt knowing they must disregard extras in order to achieve pregnancy. The outcome for the embryos is that are saved in storage where they will either die in the thaw out process or die when implanted in their mother’s womb.  Sometimes, however, one embryo does survive and attach to the mother’s womb. This is considered a successful outcome of IVF, but in order for this outcome to occur, many other embryos often die in the process. Read more about the ethical dilemmas with IVF here.

This is why we 1) believe that creating life artificially through reproductive technology can lead to a host of other evils, 2) but also that once life is created, it should always be treated with dignity.  Take a minute and watch the video below to see some of the development of an embryo. You can also educate yourself on other ethical issues by utilizing the subtopic bar.