Why does Family Abeyance Inc refer to my child as a fetus?

While the word “fetus” sounds detached and clinical, we have found it to be the most fitting term for a child undergoing the abeyance process. Since the baby is not legally “born” until its reanimation day, the term “fetus” is more appropriate for its position in the interim. The word’s clinical connotations also help minimize any connection to the child until its family is ready to welcome it into their lives. Therefore, the baby is referred to as a fetus until its reanimation day.

Can we visit the fetus while it is being stored in your facility?

Due to privacy and security concerns, families can only interact with their child at one of our care centers or the Welcome Center. While the fetuses are in a state of suspended animation, only authorized technicians with the proper security clearances can access the cryogenic facilities. This ensures that the safety of the fetus will not be compromised. However, you can register with your Family Abeyance caregiver to receive monthly or yearly updates on the fetus’s health and well-being.

Does the fetus feel anything when it is frozen?

Absolutely not. After the examination that immediately follows its delivery, the fetus is gently sedated before the abeyance process begins. Our scientists guarantee that the fetus does not register the slightest bit of discomfort. It does not dream during the process and the child will have no memory of its time in the cryogenic chamber after it is reanimated.

What about power outages? Is the fetus at risk if your facilities ever lose electricity?

Family Abeyance Inc utilizes extensive preventative procedures to ensure that all the equipment in the storage facility is in top condition at all times. By guaranteeing the integrity and functionality of all our devices, we can prevent a great deal of the glitches and problems that occasionally trouble technological facilities. However, in the event of a unpreventable outage (downed power lines, electrical storms, etc), Family Abeyance Inc can continue to supply power to the cryogenic chambers. With multiple redundant diesel backup generators and uninterruptible power supplies in a variety of locations throughout our facilities, we can keep power flowing to the chambers for up to twenty years without the slightest bit of outside energy. The fetus is not in any danger for the entirety of its time with Family Abeyance Inc.

How do we ensure that the baby that goes into the cryogenic chamber is the same baby they bring us in the Welcome Center?

Family Abeyance Inc has never had a mix-up when it comes to the identity of the fetuses in its care. During the final checkup before the abeyance process begins, we procure a DNA sample from the fetus and encode it in our database. Then we place an ID bracelet (with the DNA information) on the fetus, just below the scaphoid bone.  The fetus then goes immediately to the cryogenic chambers to begin the procedures necessary to suspend animation. The chambers are highly secured facilities and cannot be accessed without the necessary clearances. Each chamber is continuously monitored and it is impossible to tamper with the fetus while it is in its chamber. Once the family decides to end the fetus’s time in abeyance, our staff will take another DNA sample and check the ID bracelet to ensure that the correct fetus is selected.

What happens during the “final check for the abeyance process” before abeyance begins?

The final check is the last round of tests to make sure that abeyance is safe for the fetus. Procedures include a blood test, DNA test, and a few other scans. If any serious health problems become apparent during that final examination, abeyance is immediately cancelled and any prepayment refunded. While abeyance poses no risk to healthy fetuses, ailments like spina bifida and certain fetal alcohol spectrum disorders can pose additional risks and must be evaluated closely before abeyance can be considered.

Are there ramifications for long-term abeyance?

In a word, no. Abeyance can continue indefinitely, for as long as the parent deems necessary. The cryogenic procedure is absolutely safe and there is no evidence of tissue change or damage in even the longest of abeyance terms. When the fetus is reanimated, it will be just as healthy as when it entered its state of suspended animation.

What happens if you cannot afford abeyance?

There are multiple scholarship funds available to help families afford abeyance. However, if a family finds it is unable to pay the continuing cost of keeping the fetus cryogenically frozen, there are a few options available. One, the fetus will be reanimated and given to the family after the last payment has been made, or two, a social worker will be brought in to evaluate the case. At that point, the child will either be put up for adoption or placed in the foster care system. Should the latter be necessary, Family Abeyance Inc will track the child’s progress through the system to ensure that the baby finds a safe and loving home.

What if one parent chooses abeyance but the other wants the baby immediately?

Parents must be united in their desire for abeyance, or Family Abeyance Inc cannot in good conscience place the fetus in a state of suspended animation. Both parents must sign a legally binding contract that states their full acceptance of abeyance and its terms. They must also pass a psychological evaluation to affirm that they are both of sound mind at the time they sign the contract. If one parent does not pass such an evaluation, then the other parent can pursue a declaration of unfit status for the other parent. Only once such a declaration is made can a single parent govern the child’s progress in abeyance.

What date will be on my child’s birth certificate?

Rather than provide a birth certificate when the fetus is initially delivered, legal precedents require that Family Abeyance Inc should delay the production of the certificate until the day the fetus is reanimated. This requirement eliminates the confusion an old birth certificate for an infant could engender, and ensures your child’s ability to function in the legal system like any other person.

You refer to the family that claims its child as “the parents.” Do both parents need to be the child’s caregivers, or could one do it? What about grandparents?

The birth parents must decide who cares for their child. If someone other than said birth parents tries to take custody of the child, that person must either have the necessary paperwork to adopt the child or a court order. If only one parent wishes to care for the child, the other parent must give up all parental rights, in writing, with witnesses and the counsel of a lawyer. Family Abeyance Inc recognizes all types of family groups, as long as the birth parents give their consent to whatever arrangement is deemed best for the baby.