Overview

• Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born on July 26 in Ohio from an embryo cryopreserved since 1994, setting a new world record for the longest-frozen embryo birth.
• The embryo was one of four created by Linda Archerd through IVF in 1994 and was placed for adoption via Nightlight Christian Adoptions’ Snowflakes program after she retained donor control.
• Lindsey and Tim Pierce, who had pursued parenthood for seven years, had two thawed embryos transferred in November 2024 at Rejoice Fertility Clinic, with one leading to Thaddeus’s birth.
• Rejoice Fertility Clinic director John Gordon applies faith-based principles to recommend transferring every viable embryo and aims to reduce the surplus of frozen embryos.
• Estimates of millions of surplus embryos stored globally underscore growing calls for clearer regulations and ethical frameworks around long-term cryopreservation.