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Nancy Flanders
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Human Interest·By Nancy Flanders
Parents give birth to baby frozen for 22 years after death of 21-year-old son
A Greek couple has welcomed a baby girl after the tragic loss of their 21-year-old son who died in a motor accident. The couple, ages 54 and 60, have had embryos frozen for more than two decades and decided to allow one of those children a chance at life while they seek to heal from their loss.
A couple in Greece has welcomed a baby girl after she was frozen as an embryo for 22 years.
They decided to implant her after their 21-year-old son died in an accident.
The baby girl was born last week and was named Georgia in honor of her late brother Giorgos.
Georgia has had value and purpose since the moment she was created in a lab 22 years ago.
Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi, 54, and her husband, Constantinos Raptis, 60, lost their son in an accident. Less than a year later, Cristina gave birth to a baby girl, one of their embryos who had been frozen for 22 years. The couple had used IVF to become pregnant with their son and, according to the Associated Press, had other embryos who had been kept frozen all of these years.
When they lost their son, they decided to try to have another baby. But they had to race the clock. Under the law in Greece, a woman cannot complete an IVF procedure once she is 54 years and one day old. Rapti-Tzelepi was approaching her 54th birthday.
“I only had a 2½-month window,” she said. “It was stressful, but with inner strength and our doctor and his whole team by our side, we got through every obstacle.”
She gave birth last week to a baby girl named Georgia, in honor of their late son, Giorgos.
“We decided to give life a second chance, to make a new start, bring new life into our home and keep our family’s story going,” Rapti-Tzelepi said. “My wish for her is to grow up healthy and happy, full of joy like our first child, who filled our home with laughter.”
Her husband echoed their gratitude to the doctor: "He took us by the hand and pulled us out of our deepest darkness. We escaped from that darkness, and I believe we have a lot to live for now."
Georgia is a gift, and her life has value and purpose — this was true from the moment she was created and throughout the 22 years she was frozen.
The same is true for the rest of her siblings who remain frozen.
Georgia will never know her brother Giorgos because even though they were created at the same time, more than two decades separated their births. It didn't have to be that way. Georgia and the rest of their siblings deserved the same chance at life that Giorgos was given right from the start, and Georgia deserves the chance to know her other siblings.
Frozen embryos are not 'leftovers'; they aren't spares waiting in the wings to be replacements after tragic loss. They are unique human beings, but they are too often treated as products on a shelf.
Raptis and Rapti-Tzelepi have not ruled out the possibility of traveling to another country to give a chance at life to another of their embryos.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
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Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Human Interest·By Nancy Flanders
Parents give birth to baby frozen for 22 years after death of 21-year-old son
A Greek couple has welcomed a baby girl after the tragic loss of their 21-year-old son who died in a motor accident. The couple, ages 54 and 60, have had embryos frozen for more than two decades and decided to allow one of those children a chance at life while they seek to heal from their loss.
A couple in Greece has welcomed a baby girl after she was frozen as an embryo for 22 years.
They decided to implant her after their 21-year-old son died in an accident.
The baby girl was born last week and was named Georgia in honor of her late brother Giorgos.
Georgia has had value and purpose since the moment she was created in a lab 22 years ago.
Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi, 54, and her husband, Constantinos Raptis, 60, lost their son in an accident. Less than a year later, Cristina gave birth to a baby girl, one of their embryos who had been frozen for 22 years. The couple had used IVF to become pregnant with their son and, according to the Associated Press, had other embryos who had been kept frozen all of these years.
When they lost their son, they decided to try to have another baby. But they had to race the clock. Under the law in Greece, a woman cannot complete an IVF procedure once she is 54 years and one day old. Rapti-Tzelepi was approaching her 54th birthday.
“I only had a 2½-month window,” she said. “It was stressful, but with inner strength and our doctor and his whole team by our side, we got through every obstacle.”
She gave birth last week to a baby girl named Georgia, in honor of their late son, Giorgos.
“We decided to give life a second chance, to make a new start, bring new life into our home and keep our family’s story going,” Rapti-Tzelepi said. “My wish for her is to grow up healthy and happy, full of joy like our first child, who filled our home with laughter.”
Her husband echoed their gratitude to the doctor: "He took us by the hand and pulled us out of our deepest darkness. We escaped from that darkness, and I believe we have a lot to live for now."
Georgia is a gift, and her life has value and purpose — this was true from the moment she was created and throughout the 22 years she was frozen.
The same is true for the rest of her siblings who remain frozen.
Georgia will never know her brother Giorgos because even though they were created at the same time, more than two decades separated their births. It didn't have to be that way. Georgia and the rest of their siblings deserved the same chance at life that Giorgos was given right from the start, and Georgia deserves the chance to know her other siblings.
Frozen embryos are not 'leftovers'; they aren't spares waiting in the wings to be replacements after tragic loss. They are unique human beings, but they are too often treated as products on a shelf.
Raptis and Rapti-Tzelepi have not ruled out the possibility of traveling to another country to give a chance at life to another of their embryos.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·Guest Column
Marie Mierzejewski
·Human Interest
Tori Shaw
·Human Interest
Joanna Calhoun
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Pop Culture
Nancy Flanders
·Issues
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Issues
Nancy Flanders
·