In vitro fertilization is a popular practice many couples have utilized to conceive children. This process was considered groundbreaking science when it was first introduced in 1978. IVF has allowed many adults the privilege of having children in an unnatural manner. Many of these adults may have gone on to become great parents, but at what cost?

Paris Hilton recently made headlines when she said that she has 20 frozen male embryos, and she is waiting for a girl. Hilton stated:

When I was in “The Simple Life,” I had to be in a room when a woman was giving birth, and that traumatized me as well. But I want a family so bad, it’s just the physical part of doing it. I’m just so scared. Childbirth and death are the two things that scare me more than anything in the world.

Hilton has also welcomed her first child via surrogacy.

From societal norms that have been engrained into women’s minds about child birth to putting adult needs before a child’s needs, Hilton’s statement offers much to be unpacked.

First, the medicalization of prenatal care and childbirth have made many women fearful of bearing children. Childbirth is an unforgettable experience for women that involves pain, intensity, and a lot of love. Yes, there can be complications in pregnancy or during childbirth, but the risk of bearing children is overall low. The medicalization of childbirth has taught women that pregnancy is a medical condition that needs to be solved for. This is far from the truth. Pregnancy and childbirth are a natural process that women are created for. Our bodies know what to do and when to do it.

Statistics from March of Dimes show that “In the United States in 2021, 32.1% of live births were cesarean deliveries.” This tells women that 32.1% of women don’t know how to birth their own child, so medical intervention was necessary. What this statistic should tell women is that in 32.1% of U.S. births, medical professionals didn’t know how to deliver a child naturally so medical intervention was utilized.

Next, Hilton has robbed 20 baby boys of life. Her want for a baby girl has superseded her ethical judgment. The reality of IVF is brutal when, according to Them Before Us: “Only 7% of lab-created embryos will be born alive. IVF treats babies like disposable commodities. ‘Undesirable’ embryos are discarded routinely; many babies won’t survive the thaw or transfer, the few that do implant may be ‘selectively reduced’ (aborted) or have their siblings ‘selected’ for disposal. And many will spend their lives in a freezer.”

The question must be asked: Is it ethical to keep human embryos frozen to fulfill the desire of adults who want a child? Like surrogacy, IVF was not created for the benefit of children; it was created to fulfill an adult desire.

Adult desire has led to a practice that will leave many human embryos in a state where they may never live a life and will eventually be discarded.