Dr. John Gordon, a Christian IVF doctor, was co-director of a large fertility clinic when he began to question his profession. He was troubled by the creation of surplus embryos, which often languished in storage or were discarded. With the expansion of genetic testing, couples could select the sex of their baby and screen out painful or fatal diseases, as well as milder impairments like hearing loss.
A Crisis of Conscience
“What are children?” Gordon asked recently. “I mean, are they a gift from the Lord or are they just a product where you’re trying to manufacture the best product you can?” In 2019, he relocated from suburban Washington, D.C., to Knoxville, Tennessee, to establish a faith-based clinic aligned with his evolving views. Rejoice Fertility does not discard viable embryos, genetically test them, or donate them to science. Instead, it facilitates embryo adoptions and strives to limit the number of embryos created.
Understanding IVF
In vitro fertilization is an assisted reproductive technology that combines sperm and egg in a lab to create an embryo. The embryo can be frozen and later transferred to a patient’s uterus to achieve pregnancy. More than 100,000 U.S. babies were born through IVF in 2024, the highest number recorded in a single year, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are stored in the U.S., though advocates suggest the number could be higher.
Controversy Among Christians
For Christians and anti-abortion activists who believe life begins at fertilization, IVF presents challenges due to the risks it poses to embryos. Some Christians also believe reproduction should not be separated from marital sex, making IVF and certain fertility interventions off-limits. The Catholic Church has long opposed IVF, and evangelicals are increasingly grappling with it. In 2024, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, called for restrictions on IVF when it destroys “embryonic human life.” Gordon belongs to the Presbyterian Church in America, an evangelical Reformed denomination, and his local church has been supportive of Rejoice’s mission.
The Broader Debate
Recent legal decisions have prompted questions about IVF, from the U.S. Supreme Court ending federal abortion rights to the Alabama Supreme Court designating embryos as children. Despite these debates, IVF remains popular in polling, and President Donald Trump has taken steps to expand access. Gordon believes his practice addresses many moral concerns. As he said, “I need to practice in a way that I can live with the decisions I’m making.”
A Christian Approach
Rejoice tries to limit surplus embryos by asking patients for their ideal family size and tailoring treatment accordingly. Many patients choose minimal stimulation IVF, or “mini-IVF,” which uses less fertility medication and generally results in fewer eggs. Patients may then fertilize fewer eggs, yielding fewer embryos. They can also opt for natural cycle IVF, which retrieves one egg produced during a woman’s regular monthly cycle. While other clinics offer these options, Rejoice is unusual in prioritizing them. The downside is that if patients go through their limited embryos and need another IVF cycle, it typically costs between $8,000 and $10,000 at Rejoice. Despite this expense, Gordon says his patients largely want to create fewer embryos because of their beliefs.
Embryo Adoption
In rare cases when patients have unused embryos, Gordon asks them to be placed for adoption. Embryo donations are known as embryo adoptions within conservative Christian circles, which view embryos not as property but as children waiting to be adopted. The clinic recently launched Rejoice Embryo Rescue, which Gordon calls an “orphanage.” The clinic stores donated embryos and works with agencies, most of them Christian, that specialize in coordinating embryo adoptions.
