A Snowflake Named Hannah: Ethics, Faith, and the First Adoption of a Frozen Embryo

When John and Marlene Strege learned they wouldn't be able to have a child, they were devastated. Then Marlene asked the question that would change their lives: Can frozen embryos be adopted? The answer not only gave them their beloved daughter Hannah, it drew all three into a political spotlight they never expected.

Hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos exist, held in stasis because parents using in vitro fertilization have completed their families without them. When scientists discovered a way to extract stem cells from human embryos for disease research and cures, those tiny lives were suddenly at risk. And Hannah, just a few months after this discovery, became the first human face of the growing resistance to this new science. In the first few years of her life, she not only sparked other parents to adopt their own "snowflake babies," but she also inspired the first frozen embryo adoption program, featured on Focus on the Family (getting a new godfather in Dr. Dobson), attended her mother's testimony in Congress, and stood at President Bush's side as he vetoed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

This compelling story unfolds at the intersection of faith and family, science and politics. Pro-life Christians, those who have experienced infertility or know those who have, and anyone concerned with where science can lead when moral and ethical concerns are ignored will welcome this book--and the sweet face of the baby who might never have been born.