The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) is responsible for administering the frozen embryo adoption public awareness campaign. The campaign supports grants, cooperative agreements and/or contracts which aim to increase public awareness of embryo donation / adoption. The program may also fund projects that provide services to make this family building option more attainable for infertile individuals.
In the course of treatments for infertility, couples usually produce more embryos than they can use. These supernumerary embryos are generally frozen while the couple who created them decides about their ultimate disposition. This freezing process is known as cryo-preservation. The latest data suggest that there are more than 600,000 cryo-preserved embryos in the United States. However, it is likely that the vast majority of these cryo-preserved embryos are still being considered for use in the family-building efforts of the couples who created them. Moreover, some embryos are earmarked by the creating couples for use in research. Nevertheless, it is thought that there may be as many as 60,000 frozen embryos which could potentially be made available for embryo adoption (i.e., the transfer of the embryo to the uterus of a woman who intends to bear a child and to be that child's parent). The ultimate purpose of the program is to promote the use of embryo/donation as a family building option.
Funding
The embryo adoption program is authorized under Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act. In fiscal years 2002, and 2004 - 2010. Congress earmarked funding in the HHS annual appropriations act for an embryo adoption public awareness campaign. The purpose is to educate Americans about the existence of frozen embryos (resulting from in-vitro fertilization) which may be available for donation/adoption for family building.
- FY 2002 - $996,000
- FY 2004 - $994,100
- FY 2005 - $992,000
- FY 2006 - $1,979,000
- FY 2007 - $1,980,000
- FY 2008 - $3,930,000
- FY 2009 - $4,200,000
- FY 2010 - $4,200,000
- FY 2011 - $2,000,000
- FY 2012 - $2,000,000
Grants
In general , three to five grants have been awarded each year through a competitive process. The grants generally have a two or three year life-span.
FY 2012
No new grants were awarded. However, 8 cooperative agreements awarded in previous years were continued.
FY 2011
- Boston IVF - $500,000
- Nightlight Inc. - $498,000
- National Embryo Donation Center - $435,000
- Nightlight Inc. (services) - $287,000
FY 2010
No new grants were awarded. However, pre-existing, multi-year cooperative agreements with current grantees were continued with a supplement of $36,000 per grant.
FY 2009
- Bethany Christian Services - $450,000
- National Embryo Donation Center (1) - $400,000
- National Embryo Donation Center (2) - $400,000
- RESOLVE, Inc. - $300,000
FY 2008
- Nightlight Christian Services - $500,000
- Bethany Christian Services - $499,577
- National Embryo Donation Center - $476,255
- RESOLVE, Inc. - $367,127
FY 2007
- Bethany Christian Services - $328,130
- RESOLVE, Inc. - $328,130
- Nightlight Christian Services - $328,130
FY 2006
- Bethany Christian Services - $350,000
- Baptist Health System Foundation - $349,173
- Baptist Health System Foundation - $266,000
Organizations
