An Alabama couple recently shared their story of embryo adoption success with PEOPLE — and they’re encouraging others to step forward and consider it as well.
After years of struggling with infertility, Mary Leah and Rodney Miller welcomed twins Dalton and Mary Elizabeth in December 2022 via embryo adoption.
The rise in assisted reproductive technology like IVF has led to a “surplus” of frozen human embryos — many whose futures remain uncertain as their parents are unsure what to do with them. The National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) estimates there are as many as one million such embryos in the United States alone. The NEDC is just one organization that works with families who have these embryos, facilitating adoptions with recipients like the Millers who are eager to start a family.
“We just knew that this was for us,” Mary Leah told PEOPLE. “I’d always held the hope that I would be pregnant, and embryo adoption would allow us to not only adopt — but allow me to carry the children.”
Mary Leah and Rodney acknowledged that the path to parenthood wasn’t easy, noting that their first pregnancy from embryo adoption resulted in a miscarriage. They are so thankful that they now have two children.
READ: Adoption, IVF, and surrogacy: What pro-lifers need to know
“It was a long journey. And I think we could have gotten lost in that and felt just really hopeless. And there were times where it looked kind of bleak, but we kept the faith,” Mary Leah said. “We’ve got these two amazing kids and literally every day is like going to Disney World.”
“It’s been difficult, it’s been discouraging and disappointing at times, but we wouldn’t change a single thing about it now that we have these two,” added Rodney. “Every morning we walk in there and see those two standing up in their crib and they’re just beaming with smiles. It’s just amazing. We had plenty of time to think about how awesome it would be — and turns out it’s even better than we imagined.”
They also told WVTM that they hope to have more children, as they still have three adopted embryos remaining.
“We have three more frozen that are waiting, waiting for us to give them a chance. And we will. So, we’re not done,” Rodney said.
Rodney and Mary Leah both serve on the board of Carrywell, a non-profit that will soon offer financial support to those pursuing embryo adoption. They hope that more people consider it a viable option.
“We want people to hear about it, to know that it is an option,” said Mary Leah. “There’s thousands of frozen embryos out there.”
Embryo adoption is “not legally nor technically an adoption,” said NEDC. It is dictated by contract (ownership) law, not adoption law.
When a mother who has adopted an embryo gives birth to the baby, her name and the name of her husband will be on the birth certificate. However, like traditional adoption, prospective adoptive parents must pass “a comprehensive family assessment prepared by a licensed adoption agency in the couple’s state,” according to NEDC. Other requirements must be met as well.
Live Action does not support the use of IVF (read more about this here), however, it does believe that all human beings, regardless of their means of conception, have human dignity and value, and are worthy of the right to life. This includes embryos who may die, be destroyed, or remain perpetually frozen as a result of reproductive technologies.
Each of them deserves to live their lives, which — though controversial — may be made possible through embryo adoption.
