(The Lion) — A video circulating on social media has gone viral after a mother jokingly allowed her child to “choose” the gender of their next baby.
Which embryo stays in the freezer? ❄️
Would you let your child choose? ❄️IVF is not pro-life. pic.twitter.com/eKY2FMeQEY
— Josh Wood (@J_K_Wood) April 28, 2026
Critics of the video say it reveals growing ethical concerns surrounding in-vitro fertilization (IVF), particularly the treatment of embryos as commodities that can be frozen, discarded, donated, or selected based on preference.
Them Before Us Executive Director Josh Wood responded to the viral clip, noting that nearly every IVF cycle involves the freezing of embryos.
Studies have shown that during the IVF process, women may produce anywhere from four to twelve embryos, depending on factors such as age, fertility health, and treatment protocols.
Embryos that are not implanted are typically frozen for future use, donated, or discarded. In this case, the mother in the video stated she had frozen additional embryos for later implantation.
“This video is the commodification of a child turned into content,” Wood said in a statement to The Lion.
“The toddler being filmed will one day be old enough to understand he was asked to choose which of his siblings got a life and which got frozen.
“With 98% of IVF cycles involving freezing and likely 10 million frozen children locked away around the world, what looks like a cute trend is just the fertility industry’s dehumanizing logic finally reaching the high chair. The cookies are new. The sorting is not,” Wood continued.
Pro-life advocates have raised concerns about the IVF industry, highlighting ethical questions surrounding the treatment of human embryos as disposable or more “fit” based on desired traits.
Supporters of IVF argue that advancements in reproductive technology have helped millions of couples struggling with infertility build families.
(Photo by Luma Pimentel, Unsplash)
