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Khloé Kardashian said she 'owns' her frozen embryonic daughter, names her 'Tyla'
A clip from a recent episode of "The Kardashians" shared on social media last week has stirred up the debate over the humanity of human embryos.
Khloé Kardashian told her mother that she has named one her remaining frozen embryos Tyla and that her daughter True has been telling people about her 'frozen sister.'
Khloé also states that she 'owns' her frozen embryo and she doesn't have to have the permission of the biological father, her ex, to try to implant that embryo.
The conversation highlights the commodification of children that is inherent to the IVF process.
In the clip, Khloé Kardashian, 42, is speaking with her mother Kris about embryos she has frozen after having two children with her ex Tristan Thompson, daughter True, 8, and son Tatum, 4 (born via surrogate). She has previously said that she has more than one frozen embryo, though she has not specified a number. One of those embryos is a girl, whom she refers to as her True's 'sister'.
In the clip, she told Kris, "I was on the phone, and I was talking to the doctor, and I said out loud, like, something about, there’s . . . she has a sister in the freezer, or something like that. And so now True is like laser-focused on that she has a sister in the freezer. And she's told people."
She added, "The sister has a name . . . I actually love the name, so I think I want to use this name, if I ever do it. Tyla. True named her Tyla. Tyla, True, Tatum. How cute! But here's the thing. I own the embryo outright. Don't even need to tell Tristan this is happening, 'cause I own them. They're my embryos. When we broke up, I had him sign that I could have it. And it's legally done, yada, yada. So it's my embryo. But I don't know if I have the bandwidth to have another baby."
In an interview clip from the same episode, Khloé explained to the camera, "It definitely bums me out that True might not have a sister. I love sisters, and I do believe that every girl needs a sister. And I personally would love another daughter. But also I’m getting older, and it’s a lot, and I just be like . . . I don’t know if this is something I can handle."
Previously, on a March episode of her podcast Khloé in Wonder Land, Khloé made similar comments, saying she still had "a few more embryos in the freezer... I think I have one girl left, and I have been contemplating, like, do I just do this? Do it on my own, do this? But I don't know if emotionally I could handle this. ... But when you put an embryo in, there’s no guarantee that it will take. So I also was thinking I could try that, and if it doesn’t work, then it means that God didn’t want me to have another baby, and that’s fine. But I don’t even think I have the emotional capacity."
She added:
And True knows she has a sister in the freezer. And she will tell people that. I’m like, we need context, though. They’ll think I have a little girl in my freezer.
This is a prime example of how in vitro fertilization (IVF) commodifies children. Khloé admits that the frozen embryo is True's 'sister'. But she also says that she 'owns' that frozen daughter, treating her child as a commodity, and she worries people will "think I have a little girl in my freezer." She both humanizes and dehumanizes her child in a matter of minutes.
Abigail Anthony reported for National Review:
In just that short video snippet, Khloé implicitly or explicitly confirms that 1) frozen embryos are owned 2) they are regarded as property whose use — and ultimate fate — is determined by the owner, and 3) the ownership is contractually and legally regulated, not strictly decided by biological origin. I would further insist that Khloé is admitting that the frozen embryo is a human being. If Khloé reads National Review, she might object to that last point by saying the frozen embryo is something like a potential human being; I’d counter that referring to the frozen embryo as a “sister” and “daughter” with the name “Tyla” concedes that she is a human being.
The way she speaks about Tyla, it's possible that if Khloé doesn't give her frozen embryos a chance at life she might regret it someday, especially since True is aware of her 'frozen sister' and talks about her. Frozen embryo guilt is real among parents who do IVF and make more embryos than the number of children they want to have. Suddenly, they find themselves with two born children and the remaining embryos they once so desperately wanted have become burdens that they don't know what to do with. Would Khloé be able to do 'discard' Tyla, an embryo whom she has already named as a daughter? Would she not see and feel the loss that would be suffered by her entire family if Tyla does not live?
Khloé's words indicate she knows (like everyone does) that frozen human embryos are human beings. They might not implant or survive pregnancy, but the length of their lives isn't what makes them human. Not all newborns will live to be teenagers and not all teenagers will live to be adults. But babies aren't considered 'potential adults' for a reason. Everyone is a human being since the moment of fertilization and Tyla (along with every other frozen embryo) deserves her chance at life.
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·Khloé Kardashian said she 'owns' her frozen embryonic daughter, names her 'Tyla'
A clip from a recent episode of "The Kardashians" shared on social media last week has stirred up the debate over the humanity of human embryos.
Khloé Kardashian told her mother that she has named one her remaining frozen embryos Tyla and that her daughter True has been telling people about her 'frozen sister.'
Khloé also states that she 'owns' her frozen embryo and she doesn't have to have the permission of the biological father, her ex, to try to implant that embryo.
The conversation highlights the commodification of children that is inherent to the IVF process.
In the clip, Khloé Kardashian, 42, is speaking with her mother Kris about embryos she has frozen after having two children with her ex Tristan Thompson, daughter True, 8, and son Tatum, 4 (born via surrogate). She has previously said that she has more than one frozen embryo, though she has not specified a number. One of those embryos is a girl, whom she refers to as her True's 'sister'.
In the clip, she told Kris, "I was on the phone, and I was talking to the doctor, and I said out loud, like, something about, there’s . . . she has a sister in the freezer, or something like that. And so now True is like laser-focused on that she has a sister in the freezer. And she's told people."
She added, "The sister has a name . . . I actually love the name, so I think I want to use this name, if I ever do it. Tyla. True named her Tyla. Tyla, True, Tatum. How cute! But here's the thing. I own the embryo outright. Don't even need to tell Tristan this is happening, 'cause I own them. They're my embryos. When we broke up, I had him sign that I could have it. And it's legally done, yada, yada. So it's my embryo. But I don't know if I have the bandwidth to have another baby."
In an interview clip from the same episode, Khloé explained to the camera, "It definitely bums me out that True might not have a sister. I love sisters, and I do believe that every girl needs a sister. And I personally would love another daughter. But also I’m getting older, and it’s a lot, and I just be like . . . I don’t know if this is something I can handle."
Previously, on a March episode of her podcast Khloé in Wonder Land, Khloé made similar comments, saying she still had "a few more embryos in the freezer... I think I have one girl left, and I have been contemplating, like, do I just do this? Do it on my own, do this? But I don't know if emotionally I could handle this. ... But when you put an embryo in, there’s no guarantee that it will take. So I also was thinking I could try that, and if it doesn’t work, then it means that God didn’t want me to have another baby, and that’s fine. But I don’t even think I have the emotional capacity."
She added:
And True knows she has a sister in the freezer. And she will tell people that. I’m like, we need context, though. They’ll think I have a little girl in my freezer.
This is a prime example of how in vitro fertilization (IVF) commodifies children. Khloé admits that the frozen embryo is True's 'sister'. But she also says that she 'owns' that frozen daughter, treating her child as a commodity, and she worries people will "think I have a little girl in my freezer." She both humanizes and dehumanizes her child in a matter of minutes.
Abigail Anthony reported for National Review:
In just that short video snippet, Khloé implicitly or explicitly confirms that 1) frozen embryos are owned 2) they are regarded as property whose use — and ultimate fate — is determined by the owner, and 3) the ownership is contractually and legally regulated, not strictly decided by biological origin. I would further insist that Khloé is admitting that the frozen embryo is a human being. If Khloé reads National Review, she might object to that last point by saying the frozen embryo is something like a potential human being; I’d counter that referring to the frozen embryo as a “sister” and “daughter” with the name “Tyla” concedes that she is a human being.
The way she speaks about Tyla, it's possible that if Khloé doesn't give her frozen embryos a chance at life she might regret it someday, especially since True is aware of her 'frozen sister' and talks about her. Frozen embryo guilt is real among parents who do IVF and make more embryos than the number of children they want to have. Suddenly, they find themselves with two born children and the remaining embryos they once so desperately wanted have become burdens that they don't know what to do with. Would Khloé be able to do 'discard' Tyla, an embryo whom she has already named as a daughter? Would she not see and feel the loss that would be suffered by her entire family if Tyla does not live?
Khloé's words indicate she knows (like everyone does) that frozen human embryos are human beings. They might not implant or survive pregnancy, but the length of their lives isn't what makes them human. Not all newborns will live to be teenagers and not all teenagers will live to be adults. But babies aren't considered 'potential adults' for a reason. Everyone is a human being since the moment of fertilization and Tyla (along with every other frozen embryo) deserves her chance at life.
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!
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