Book Review: Misconception

So I decided that I would read this book after finishing Inconceivable. This story was all over The Today Show. The local news. Magazines. The unbelievable story of an embryo mix-up that changed 2 couples’ lives forever.


The Basics: The Morell’s had difficulties with miscarriages and infertility before giving birth to twin girls in 2006, through in-vitro fertilization.  Six frozen embryos remained and they looked forward to expanding their family soon.  Before their scheduled appointment with the clinic, they were told the embryos had been thawed.  Not only that, but that they were implanted in another woman.
The Morrell’s take us step by step through the heartache and uncertainty that followed.  Ultimately, the other woman carried the Morell baby to term and delivered a healthy baby boy.  She and her husband didn’t contest the Morell’s parental rights and Paul and Shannon are now proud parents to a baby boy. Fortunately, it was best case scenario.
But there’s so much more to this story.  I wish I could say that the book answered my question of how this happened in the first place, but I’m not sure they even know the truth about that.  That’s absolutely scary. What I can say is that after reading this book, I’m shocked.  Not only did I learn so much about in-vitro fertilization, but I discovered so many ethical issues along the way.  I thought I knew the basics, but even the Morell’s hadn’t known it all, despite all their research before delving into that world.
In reading this personal story, it’s so easy to see how things could have turned out very differently.  Had the embryo been implanted into anyone else, she could have aborted the baby, and the Morell’s couldn’t have stopped it.  They had no control, but believed in someone who did…..and that faith kept them going.
I did think that Shannon Morell was a little whiny. Yes, she did loose the chance to be pregnant and carry her own baby, but look at the big picture. She has THE BABY and Carolyn Savage has an empty womb and no chance to give birth to another child.