Embryo donation is also sometimes called embryo adoption. The terminology used is important because it has implications for the pro-life and pro-choice movements. If it is known as embryo adoption it gives more weight to the argument that embryos are humans. Embryo donation is the term used more often since it is a more neutral term.

When you accept an embryo donation, it is like accepting a child without seeing him or her. You have no idea what you will get - and you also do not know if the embryo will actually implant. It is likely that your child will have siblings in the world that you will never know about, since most embryo donations come from other couples undergoing infertility treatment like assisted reproduction treatment (ART) with the purpose of having a child.

Embryo donation as a form of fertility treatment has been in the news recently. The federal government invested $1 million in a public awareness campaign to improve awareness about it as an option, while at the same time opposing the use of embryos for research. While this is a political power play, it has helped to bring the issue of embryo donation to the forefront.

Embryo donation has benefits and detriments. The following list looks at its pros and cons.

Pros;

• It is much faster than adoption.
• The intended parents completely control the pregnancy.
• The intended mother gives birth to the baby and can nurse.
• Genetic siblings are possible if there are enough embryos from the donor couple.
• The process offers greater privacy than adoption.
• Complete genetic screening is done on the embryos.
• Complete medical information about biological parents is provided.
• You do not have to pay an egg donor or pay for the expenses of a birth mother.
• The legal risk is low since the donor couple never knows about the pregnancy and cannot attempt to get custody of the child or otherwise interfere.

Cons:

• Donors tend to be people who have fertility problems themselves, so the embryos may have some problems.
• There is very little selection or choice since there are few embryos available.
• You cannot meet the biological parents and may not even see a photo of them.
• Donors tend to be older.
• Your child may have full genetic siblings in the world without your knowledge.