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CTV News
4 minutes ago
- CTV News
An Ohio couple welcomes a baby boy from a nearly 31-year-old frozen embryo
About two per cent of U.S. births are the result of in vitro fertilization, even less come from donated embryos. A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be a record length of storage time before a birth. In what's known as embryo adoption, Linda and Tim Pierce used a handful of embryos donated in 1994 in their pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born Saturday from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces' doctor says sets a record. It's a concept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining attraction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centered, oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that life begins at or around conception and that all embryos deserve to be treated like children who need a home. 'I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,' said Linda Archerd, 62, who donated her embryos to the Pierces. Just about two per cent of births in the U.S. are the result of in vitro fertilization, and an even smaller fraction involve donated embryos. However, medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country, with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs. Further complicating the topic is a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. State leaders have since devised a temporary solution shielding clinics from liability stemming from that ruling, though questions linger about remaining embryos. Archerd says she turned to IVF in 1994. Back then, the ability to freeze, thaw and transfer embryos was making key progress and opening the door for hopeful parents to create more embryos and increase their chances of a successful transfer. She wound up with four embryos and initially hoped to use them all. But after the birth of her daughter, Archerd and her husband divorced, disrupting her timeline for having more children. As the years turned into decades, Archerd said she was wracked with guilt about what to do with the embryos as storage fees continued to rise. Eventually, she found Snowflakes, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which offers open adoptions to donors. Archerd was also able to set preferences for what families would adopt her embryos. 'I wanted to be a part of this baby's life,' she said. 'And I wanted to know the adopting parents.' The process was tricky, requiring Archerd to contact her initial fertility doctor in Oregon and dig through paper records to get the proper documentation for the donation. The embryos then had to be shipped from Oregon to the Pierces' doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refuses to discard frozen embryos and has become known for handling embryos stored in outdated and older containers. Of the three donated embryos the Pierces received from Archerd, one didn't make the thaw. Two were transferred to Lindsey Pierce's womb, but just one successfully implanted. According to Dr. John David Gordon, the transfer of the nearly 31-year-old embryo marks the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. He would know, Gordon says his clinic assisted in the previous record, when Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen for 30 years, or 10,905 days. 'I think that these stories catch the imagination,' Gordon said. 'But I think they also provide a little bit of a cautionary tale to say: Why are these embryos sitting in storage? You know, why do we have this problem?' In a statement, Lindsey and Tim Pierce said the clinic's support was just what they needed. 'We didn't go into this thinking about records — we just wanted to have a baby,' Lindsey Pierce said. For Archerd, the donation process has been an emotional roller coaster. Relief that her embryos finally found a home, sadness it couldn't be with her and a little anxiety about what the future holds next, with possibly meeting the Pierces and the baby in person. 'I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures,' she said, noting that the parents have already sent several after the birth. 'I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby.' Kimberlee Kruesi, The Associated Press
CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
Family and friends gearing up for Ironman in memory of Ottawa athlete
Friends and family of Sindy Hooper, an Ottawa woman who $500,000 for cancer research before her death, are taking on the Ironman triathlon on Ottawa on Aug. 3, 2025. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Retired Manitoba dentist reprimanded for sexual relationship with patient
A retired dentist who admitted he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a patient has been ordered to pay a $30,000 fine. Gary Levine, a former member of the Manitoba Dental Association (MDA) who retired in 2024, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct charges before an MDA inquiry panel in April. According to a summary of the panel's decision, a former patient of Levine complained to the association alleging the dentist had been involved in an inappropriate sexual relationship with her. The panel found Levine's conduct was 'clearly and demonstrably' in breach of the MDA's code of ethics when he pursued and engaged in sexual relations with a 'financially vulnerable' patient and provided dental services for free to further the relationship. 'His conduct constituted sexual harassment of the patient,' the summary wrote. The panel heard the patient met Levine in 2005 when she brought her son in for dental correction. The summary said Levine proposed a payment plan for the woman and her two sons to get braces after he found out she was a single mother. The summary said the woman became a regular patient of Levine's for five years and received additional dental work from him in subsequent years. 'Shortly after the patient's first appointment, Dr. Levine began engaging in flirtatious behaviour with the patient, which progressed to sexual encounters and intercourse between Dr. Levine and the patient, both at Dr. Levine's home and at his clinic,' the summary said. The panel heard Dr. Levine stopped charging the patient fees for dental services after their sexual relationship started. 'Carrying on a sexual relationship at the clinic and the subsequent waiver of fees was deemed entirely unacceptable,' the summary stated. The summary said Levine had no disciplinary history with the MDA prior to the complaint and noted the dentist was cooperative during the inquiry process. Levine was reprimanded by the panel and must pay $30,000 to the MDA for the investigation and hearing. He is also ineligible to seek registration with the MDA for six months. The summary noted if Levine seeks registration following that period, he must have a chaperone present for any interaction involving a female patient. Levine would also be required to complete an educational course on maintaining professional boundaries with patients.
