Senate passes human embryo adoption bill
Human embryos could be formally adopted by people who want to become parents, under a bill that passed the Senate Wednesday.
House Bill 388 is intended to clearly relinquish rights to a human embryo and allow the parents who try to bring the embryo to life to be the legal parents of the child who may be born.
The legislation has already passed the House, but because it was changed in a Senate committee, it must go back to the House for approval.
The bill defines a human embryo as a fertilized egg, from the single-cell stage to 8-week development. The legislation skirts the issue of whether the embryo is a person. While the embryo could be adopted — as a baby would be — the bill deals with a contract regarding a parent’s rights to an embryo. It does not give the embryo its own rights.
Embryo donation is already allowed in Georgia. Supporters said the legislation would allow for a clear adoption of some of the 20,000 human embryos now frozen and housed in fertility clinics in Georgia.
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© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
75 comments Add your comment
Brian
April 1st, 2009
6:31 pm
How stupid and backward can a State be? I hope you wing nuts are proud.
Concerned Citizen
April 1st, 2009
6:33 pm
Another way for the religious-right zealots to interfere in the lives of GA citizens. Why can’t they stick to Sundays and let us live our lives like the rest of the free world. I don’t want any religious leaders telling my family what to do, how to do it, and that I must follow what their book says when I happen to follow another religion. My faith is strong, but it doesn’t force itself on others. I follow the old testament and all of it’s teachings. It’s a shame that there are those leaders in our community that want everyone to follow their teachings, and don’t allow for freedom of religion. Get out of the 18th century, Georgia.
Kevin
April 1st, 2009
6:33 pm
I love it! Good work!
Really?
April 1st, 2009
6:34 pm
This is asinine. What’s next? Adoption of my brother’s spermatogonia? Or adoption of my sister’s egg? Why can’t the GA legislature focus on helping folks who are greater than negative 9 months old, living in poverty or without food or in abusive homes? Why waste their breath (and the taxpayer’s time) on embryos? Ridiculous.
Zup
April 1st, 2009
6:40 pm
This state is very strange. I hate it, actually. Oh yeah, to preempt the “love it or leave it” posts, why don’t you leave.
Zup
April 1st, 2009
6:41 pm
Kevin must have been an adopted embryo.
ak
April 1st, 2009
6:58 pm
What a frakin embarassment, passed by religious zealots who care more about a frozen emryo than an actual child. Sometimes I’m embarrased to be from from Georgia
jcg
April 1st, 2009
7:02 pm
Step in the right direction.
Charles
April 1st, 2009
7:07 pm
Republicans will never learn – there are millions of us out here who would vote republican in a heart beat – if the religious right would get on another horse. You can continue to support legislation like this and expect any fiscal conservative to vote for you. I’d rather live in a socialist state than under your moral code.
ATLLefty
April 1st, 2009
7:09 pm
the word ‘Morons’ comes to mind…
although I hope the guv will fill his freezer with the little buggers…
Hildo
April 1st, 2009
7:10 pm
How stupid is the state of Georgia? Well everybody that uses the internet started out as a embryo. Embryo’s develop into human-beings. The anti-humanist try to devalue humanity by saying embryo’s are not people when you can murder a pregnant woman and be charged with 2 homicides. To the concerned citizen, if you read the bible you would know that value of humanity the Jewish people valued a life, even during conception. To destroy embryo’s is essentially a crime against the imago dei.
People are in general too stupid to realize what is going on with the anti-humanist. You don’t have the right to do whatever you want, especially when it comes to your body. You essentially don’t own you life, if that was the case, people would cure their own cancer. You did not make the air, water, or land, so get over your selfish ideology and pray for common-sense with the adoption of human embryos.
Charles
April 1st, 2009
7:21 pm
So Hildo – how many do you plan to adopt, raise and suport?
Stewart
April 1st, 2009
7:31 pm
Who would want to adopt an embryo and why? On first glance this legislation only leaves me puzzled.
It also appears that the GA Senate definition of an embryo is broader than the general idea. Generally an embryo is defined as beginning at implantation (previously it is a zygote). According to what is written here they have included all fertilized eggs as embryos as well.
Republican are desparate
April 1st, 2009
7:34 pm
It’s the Republican way. They could careless about orphans and children living in poverty, but put all their effort into saving someone’s knuckle children.
AGG
April 1st, 2009
7:43 pm
Hildo – actually I think we do own our own lives and I guess there lies our difference of opinion. So why don’t you take your opinion and.. live by it and I’ll live by mine.
And really, did you really say that if people owned their life they would cure their own cancer? Did you grow up in a backwoods barn somewhere or are you just an idiot?
Bobby
April 1st, 2009
7:47 pm
I’m a religious person active in my Church but I keep my religious views out of politics.
Isn’t it ironic the same persons who will tell you they want less government controls in our lives support legislation like this that serves no purpose other than put more laws on the books to push one religious and narrow minded agenda over another. Shame on the Georgia Republican Party.
Jo Anne Swanson
April 1st, 2009
7:54 pm
I can’t believe these legislators haven’t learned from the closed, secret adoptions that have tormented adooptees for six decades (when records were sealed) by giving these embryos NO RIGHTS of their own in the ‘adoption’ transaction. Who will protect these children, when grown, from marrying a sibling or other close relative? How will they gain access to their genetic families’ medical histories or perhaps warn those families of an anomaly that could affect a sibling or other blood kin? Where will these embryo-implanted products go to access their ‘adoption records’ one day? And how will the adoptive parents react to their child’s yearnings to see faces of people who look like them; experience the joy of interacting with siblings who act like they do? And on and on. This legislation clearly makes embryos products with human bodies and phony genealogy, providing no way to connect with those who share his DNA. Shameful!
hildo
April 1st, 2009
8:00 pm
How stupid is the state of Georgia? Well everybody that uses the internet started out as a embryo. Embryo’s develop into human-beings. The anti-human-beings try to devalue humanity by saying embryo’s are not people when you can murder a pregnant woman and be charged with 2 homicides. To the concerned citizen, if you read the bible you would know that value of humanity the Jewish people valued a life, even during conception. To destroy embryo’s is essentially a crime against the imago dei.
People are in general too stupid to realize what is going on with the anti-human-being. You don’t have the right to do whatever you want, especially when it comes to your body. You essentially don’t own you life, if that was the case, people would cure their own cancer. You did not make the air, water, or land, so get over your selfish ideology and pray for common-sense with the adoption of human embryos.
hildo
April 1st, 2009
8:01 pm
I already have a shelter to help the disadvantaged. How about you Charles. People like the anti-humanist are pure evil………………
hildo
April 1st, 2009
8:04 pm
AGC it shows how stupid you are. You did not decide when you were born or what disease you have. You don’t own anything, even your life. To destroy human life is evil, and evil exists AGC.
Michael
April 1st, 2009
8:06 pm
And just how many tax payer dollars were wasted on this bill? Too many, I can only imagine.
The Walrus
April 1st, 2009
8:08 pm
Can someone explain the significance of this bill? I just jumped and am reading it, but can’t understand what the purpose of adopting an embryo would be. On the other hand, I don’t fully understand why that would be a bad thing.
GTchemE
April 1st, 2009
8:09 pm
This bill isn’t forcing anybody to do anything. If a person wants to adopt an embryo they can now. Unlike laws made by liberals, this isn’t forcing anything, but rather it is granting more freedom.
GTchemE
April 1st, 2009
8:12 pm
And by the way Concerned Citizen: You say that you follow all of the teaching of the old testament. So I guess you support stoning gays and disobedient children? Be careful when voicing your theology . . .
Matt
April 1st, 2009
8:21 pm
Why does everyone think this is religiously motivated? I have not seen the text of the bill, but the article makes it sound like this is simply a matter of clearly defining “custody” as in a usual adoption proceeding. I presume this is so that a man and woman could proceed with having the embryo implanted without worrying later that the donor couple would later rescind their agreement after the birth of the child and attempt to regain/assert custody. This possibility must surely hang over every couple that seeks to proceed with a pregnancy and all the risks and costs, financial and emotional, associated with it. Again, what is so right wing nut about this legislation?
Kevin
April 1st, 2009
8:26 pm
Since the “Pro Lifers” know they’ll never get a wholesale elimination of Roe v. Wade, they are doing all they can, step by step, to erode a woman’s right to choose.
This is PRECISELY what this legislation is about. It’s one step closer to giving embryo’s rights, which would help make abortions illegal.
If you don’t see what they’re doing, you’re not paying attention.
I hate this state more and more every day. Backwards hillbillies running a backward state.
GTchemE
April 1st, 2009
8:31 pm
Well Kevin, hopefully you and all your ilk will leave so that we can go back to respecting human life.
GTchemE
April 1st, 2009
8:31 pm
Well Kevin, hopefully you and all your ilk can leave this state so that we can go back to respecting human life.
Bee Realistic
April 1st, 2009
8:33 pm
OMG! I thought this was an April Fools Day joke! (*o*)
mel in midtown
April 1st, 2009
8:43 pm
I’m embarrassed to be a Georgian! Well, thanks legislature! We can adopt embryos and carry a gun to church! Oh, and Georgia Power can start charging us for a power plant that they haven’t even built! Does anyone in this state even monitor what these clowns do???
David
April 1st, 2009
8:46 pm
Does the Legislature have everything figured out now? Have they figured out how to fix the transportation issues this state is facing? Have they figured out how to correct the budget shortfall? Have they found a solution to the rising costs of health care? The resounding answer there is no, no they haven’t. Instead, they’re wasting their time at the end of the legislative session to take of very, very important pieces of legislation, like this one, which is clearly more important than moving people and goods across the state, or stopping the state from going bankrupt, or having health care that people can actually pay for, in the event that those lovely adoptable embryos ever grow up.
Stop with the distractions and do something worthwhile for a change.
Kevin
April 1st, 2009
9:00 pm
Hey GT, go ilk yourself.
Richard
April 1st, 2009
9:15 pm
What no one has mentioned is the possibility of Companies adopting the embryo’s for harvesting and testing……
Hey…..Next year, we may allow them to “adopt” Seniors….
kool$kat
April 1st, 2009
9:23 pm
Kevin, you are obviously pro-choice, protecting the woman’s right to choose. So why are you opposed to a woman (or man’s) right to choose to adopt an embryo? I suspect its because you are really only concerned that abortion remains legal. So you can sleep around with little consequence.
Abortion is the modern sacrifice of babies to the god of sexual promiscuity. Students of the Old Testament know what happened to nations that sacrificed children to idols. Look it up.
Kevin
April 1st, 2009
9:24 pm
If anybody questions the real intent of this legislation (i.e. furthering the cause for the religious right without an outright assault), you have to look no further than GT’s comment.
If you don’t like the idea of this state continuing to be hijacked by the fringe Right, call your representatives and kindly ask them to kill this bill.
ank
April 1st, 2009
9:24 pm
idiots.
Allen
April 1st, 2009
9:31 pm
Poor Brian……….where has he been all his life? not sheltered for sure…………….Do\s he even realize why he is here…….his poor parents do………..poor Brian. What a wierdo……..
Allen
April 1st, 2009
9:33 pm
Does anyone……….anyone understand or appreciate the value of life? me thinks not……poor misguided Georgians or perhaps poor transplants from areas less enlightened.
Sal
April 1st, 2009
9:35 pm
Seems to me that Matt has the right of it. This does not give embryos any rights, just parent who want to adopt one. Those who are so venomous, seem to be just those who are terrified that they. might be forced to live with the consequences of their actions instead of killing them.
Paul
April 1st, 2009
9:36 pm
I like this piece of legislation. It is progressive and promotes human life. Glad to live in Georgia.It is funny how all of the critics out there who criticize Georgia as backwards are usually from somewhere else and moved to Georgia. Georgia attracts more people than almost any other state in the US. It seems to me Georgia is the future.
eddie
April 1st, 2009
9:38 pm
Embryo Adoption has been happening for years…… I don’t understand how you people can make comments about an issue you haven’t even researched yet. Life starts at conception. I know, my daughter was an adopted embryo.
Brian
April 1st, 2009
9:42 pm
Mel in Midtown well said. Wing nuts find a real life.
farmdaddyo
April 1st, 2009
9:48 pm
If you think Georgia is bad, you should live in Alabama. The right wing religious fanatics are everywhere.
GTchemE
April 1st, 2009
9:50 pm
Try living in New Jersey. The outspoken liberal fanatics are worse up there.
Downtowner
April 1st, 2009
9:52 pm
It is very interesting that in this entire long string of comments on the bill to allow the adoption of embryos, only one is, apparently, by a woman–Jo Anne Swanson.
Dude!
April 1st, 2009
10:10 pm
Mel, Yes some of us do monitor these clowns. Unfortunately, the Republican Party has been hijacked by the Christian fanatics and any Republican politician, regardless of his/her personal feelings, has to placate the fanatics in order to be elected/re-elected. Going head to head Moderate Republicans versus Liberal Democrats the Dems win most of the time so it takes the fanatical element for the Republicans to win. There are only three issues that matter to many of the fanatics: 1) Eliminate Roe v Wade (abortion); 2) Constitutional amendment declaring marriage can only be between one man and one woman; 3) Defeat Stem Cell Research…….taxes, economy, jobs, etc. be damned. All of that to say (explain) how these clowns keep coming back year after year with more of their crazy laws.
As several posters have said, this bill is just a precursor to another attempt to establish embryos as “humans” thereby prohibiting their destruction. This law seems to be cleverly worded to skirt that issue now and it sounds like it is only applicable to “legal rights” of the various adults involved. But, mark my word, wait until next year. There will be changes or new bills that will move this further into the “destruction of human life” arena. Next election I and many like me will once again have a choice of returning our Republican clown or an even worse Democrat idiot to the General Assembly.
Oh for a viable third party!
Willis
April 2nd, 2009
8:08 am
My goodness, I think I may adopt a dozen or so – I guess they can be kept in the freezer and popped out when one needs company? Do I get to choose gender?
Howard
April 2nd, 2009
8:09 am
how dumb can the Georgia Senate be…can we adopt pet rocks, too. Our senators must be the offspring of a South Carolina and Alabama couple…how else could you explain their IQ.
Willis
April 2nd, 2009
8:11 am
Will these adopted embroyos be eligible for Peachcare? Will the State provide me an incubator to keep my dozen or so in? What is one dies in my care? Will I be charged with embryo abuse?
Howard
April 2nd, 2009
8:11 am
Can I take a dependent deduction for each one I adopt on state and federal taxes…what’s the max…oh, hell, send me a baker’s dozen.
Howard
April 2nd, 2009
8:15 am
Their is one good thing about adopting an embryo…you never have to buy them a birthday present…
Howard
April 2nd, 2009
8:18 am
I hope the senate passes additional legislation that specifically outlaws embryo porn…because I think that would be disgusting….and they shouldn’t be allowed to marry either…and don’t lower the voting age for them either…but, if the senate does make sure they have to have ID cards.
Howard
April 2nd, 2009
8:20 am
If you can legally adopt’em, wouldn’t you have to give’em a legal name, too?
Your morning jolt: Black Caucus calls for governor to withdraw brief in voting rights case | Political Insider
April 2nd, 2009
8:22 am
[...] Senate passes human embryo adoption bill. [...]
Sense Common
April 2nd, 2009
9:22 am
I’m not sure if i see what all the fuss is over this Bill. However I have a comment to all those referring to Georgia as “backwoods”, “hillbilly” and making comments like they hate living here. Guess what I can’t stand Cuba, or Russia, or even Canada, and many other places and I totally disagree with there laws. So you know what I do, I choose not to live there. This world is huge and made up of a lot of different groups with many different ideas on how things should work. I won’t for a minute proclaim Georgia to be perfect (where on Earth is?). But I do desire to live in an area that share most of my beliefs. If I was as dissatisfied as many proclaimed to be, I think I would move. Life’s to short to be unhappy at everything around you.
The great thing about I75, I85, I95, and I20 is the road out is just as easy as the road in.
Kevin
April 2nd, 2009
9:43 am
With all the problems in our economy, this is what Georgia is focusing on? How about the actual gestated and breathing children out there that need adopted – maybe they should consider a bill encouraging adoption of those that don’t need to be roosted. This state is more backward than I’d ever like to admit.
The Snark
April 2nd, 2009
10:17 am
Oh, so now we have a new bogeyman: the “anti-humanist.” Scary! Let’s round them up and put them in little camps.
Jefferson
April 2nd, 2009
10:52 am
GOP – Grumpy Old People
PyschDoc
April 2nd, 2009
11:04 am
I am a Georgia transplant. I have no problem with Georgians. Love most of ‘em. Now, that we have that out of the way, I have a couple of comments. Human life begins at fertilization. (Sperm meets egg= new life–distinct, separate, and living.) We all began as zygotes and then embryos, then fetuses (which means child, by the way) and born baby, and child, teen, etc. etc. etc. This is in every biology textbook. Life is a continuum and just needs a proper environment to grow and become the next stage. This bill is a good one. It allows for embryos that are in the frozen state in Georgia, about 20K of them, to be adopted by parents who want to supply that environment for them to grow and proceed down the continuum without fear of losing their baby to people who froze them (or abandoned them). It treats the embryos as people (very, very little people, of course) not property.
When we treat any human life as property, that is when we get sex trafficking, slavery, pornography, research on political prisoners, and active killing of the old and infirm. Be careful, someone more powerful than you can decide that you are property and guess what, you’re outta here!
Brian D.
April 2nd, 2009
11:06 am
Is this like “adopting” flowers you pick up at the florist? Sushi from the market? Or are we about to “adopt” pet tissue so as to clone our precious animals? Wow. Why not call it what it is? The purchase of a commodity… “adoption?” Please!
LoveWisdom
April 2nd, 2009
11:07 am
I find it interesting that many of the comments on here talk about how backward Georgia is yet they fail to display why this legislation is backwards. Anyone can make an assertion, yet back up your comments.
I commend the legislators for voting for this legislation. This is not a religious right issue, this is a matter of science.
The term embryo does not define what something is but what stage of development it is in. Your cats and dogs were once embryos also, yet these human embryos biologically can be nothing less than human beings. It’s not a matter of religion,but rather of scientific fact.
fultonrighty
April 2nd, 2009
11:35 am
This bill just offers an alternative way to handle the transfer of frozen embryos in storage or surrogacy arrangments. Some of you are accusing the “religious right” on this one, but many others were in favor of the option to adopt. [I hate how these blog discussions degenerate into regional mudslinging, insults and meaningless assumptions. Let's stick to facts.]
This bill just gives an alternative to current contract law procedures. It affords the receiving parents more protection from changes of mind by the originating biological parents after a woman carries a child 9 months. A variety of infertile couples will welcome this.
Hopefully the added protection of this adoption process will allow for many human embryos “left-over” in cryopreservation to be born. That has been going on for over 10 years–the resulting kids are called “Snowflake Babies/Children.” See Wikipedia for a quick summary.
John
April 2nd, 2009
11:50 am
If these religious freaks really cared about children they would adopt one of the thousands in foster care that are spawned by crack whores and other low life cretins. Why aren’t there laws mandating the ability to support a kid before you are allowed to spawn?
Objective
April 2nd, 2009
12:18 pm
The bill is not religously motivated and is actually less than perfect but at least a good step in the right direction. The law of biogenesis says 2 organisms of the same species can only reproduce offspring of that species. This bill follows that scientific principle. As for religion, God says He knew Jeremiah in the womb and the punishment for hitting a pregnant woman and her child dying because of it is death.
The bill is not compulsory and merely is trying to find people to care for humans in their youngest state of development. I wish it would give embryos their rights considering they are American citizens because they are born here. As for Georgia being backwards, this law is not scientifically or morally out dated.
Fultonrighty is right and gives a good summary. Thanks for the courteousy
CMM
April 2nd, 2009
12:40 pm
If everyone would read the bill before making your comments and showing just how dumb you are, then most of you would see that your concerns about the bill are without merit. Here’s a link for those unable to find it yourself. http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb204.htm
Trey O'Callaghan
April 2nd, 2009
12:48 pm
I am very proud with my state and very proud with this bill Brian. I wonder if protecting the life and liberty of every one of our citizens is to old fashioned for you.
Yeah Right
April 2nd, 2009
1:59 pm
To Concerned Citizen ….You can’t possibly be following Old Testament teachings and all of them…..If you were PETA would have you locked up.
James
April 2nd, 2009
2:38 pm
Yep, I support this!
ML
April 2nd, 2009
3:29 pm
April Fool’s Day was yesterday. Oh wait. I forgot. Everyday in the GA Legislature is April Fool’s Day.
carrie miller
April 2nd, 2009
4:13 pm
need for more laws 8 babies at one time she didnt want her eggs not used or adopted
Secular Progressive
April 2nd, 2009
7:26 pm
The Republican religious right nut cases are hard at work once more! It is actions like this that shove the State of Georgia back into the dark ages. Cheers for President Obama!
puzzled
April 2nd, 2009
9:58 pm
The bill doesn’t mention God, religion or anything of the sort. I have no idea where this unfounded animosity is coming from.
It is protecting the adoptive parents of these embryos so custody can’t be challenged later on. Why wouldn’t we want to protect these parents from the pain and turmoil associated with a custody battle?
Al
April 3rd, 2009
9:03 am
Come on Libs. Which is more disgusting? A measure that allows embryos to be adopted without recognizing them as human beings or a President who voted three times to kill babies who were successfully born to mothers seeking abortions.
Dorothy
June 19th, 2009
8:59 pm
Must the government regulate every single aspect of life now? More red tape and more expense for people already challenged with infertility issues. Why can’t politicians leave some matters remain private and the terrain of patients and a doctors?
Stefanie, Texas
August 13th, 2009
10:33 am
Wow, aren’t there better things to be concerned about? How about the hundreds upon thousands of unwanted children living in orphanages and foster care? How about all the children living in poverty without health insurance? My Republican pro-life Senator, John Cornyn, votes against children’s health care every time. I wonder if he he’s writing an embryo adoption bill. Ignorance abounds.