There are a lot of couples (everybody probably knows one…) who’ve tried in-vitro fertilization (IVF). I like that about the USA — in theory, at least, each citizen gets to decide what’s important to him. Some spend thousands on a new boat, some give thousands to the poor, and some spend thousands creating batches of embryos with their own DNA. According to Jefferson, pursuit of happiness is our national birthright, whichever way the money’s spent — different strokes for different folks.

But back to fertilization, a cycle of IVF creates more than just one embryo. And after IVF, a couple is faced with four alternatives for their 16 or so surplus embryos:

1. Have them discarded.
2. Donate the embryos to another infertile couple.
3. Donate the embryos for research.
4. Have the embryos preserved at very low temperatures.

Even though most couples ask that their embryos be quietly discarded, there are still over 500,000 embryos on ice today.

I’m not trying to advance any opinions here, just trying to look at all sides of the stem cell issue, and you know where it’s going — but for a moment, try to put away the clump of cells/embryo/murder emotions. Laws are written in black and white. Ninety percent of life comes in shades of gray; gray’s not black or white — it’s just gray.

The 300 Embryos

To come at it from another angle, how about a hypothetical: A fire breaks out in a hospital and you have a choice of what to save from the flames — an incubator with a premature baby, or a freezer containing 300 embryos. Which do you save?

If you believe killing an embryo is murder, you’d logically have to rescue the freezer and leave the baby to burn up (300 lives versus 1 life, easy choice.)

If you believe embryonic clumps of cells don’t qualify as victims, you’d rescue the baby. Once you’re comfortable with that…what if 10 of the embryos belonged to you and your deceased spouse? If that were the case, who could really blame you for saving the embryos and letting the baby take the heat?

What if you believe fertilized eggs each have a soul that will be saved or burn in hell for eternity? What if you believe any souls attached to discarded embryos are going to reincarnate many times anyway, so there’s no big loss — only a setback until the souls jump to the next free embryos — you’d actually be freeing up some souls if all those frozen embryos were discarded.

I’ll hazard this: People pig-headedly claiming they know which side of the stem cell issue should be law for every other person’s human experience probably haven’t thought about it as much as others who see gray areas…gray areas that would make fair and just black-and-white legislation a virtual impossibility.

Read More: Michael J. Fox, in-vitro, IVF, embryo, stem cell, health, science, politics

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