Full Breakdown
Faith and Fertility: Dr. John Gordon’s Ethical Pivot in IVF
5/12/2026, 12:23:13 AM
Launch of Rejoice Fertility Clinic in Knoxville
In 2018, Dr. John Gordon, a reproductive endocrinologist formerly co-director of a Washington, D.C., fertility clinic, purchased a practice in Knoxville, Tennessee. He rebranded it as Rejoice Fertility, a clinic that deliberately avoids discarding viable embryos, refrains from pre-implantation genetic testing, and limits the number of embryos created per cycle. The shift occurred when Gordon was 55 and was motivated by concerns that surplus embryos “were being created and then languished in storage or were discarded.”
IVF Ethics and Recent Legal Landscape
Advances such as sex selection and disease screening have intensified moral debates around in-vitro fertilization. Recent court rulings—most notably the U.S. Supreme Court’s termination of federal abortion protections and the Alabama Supreme Court’s classification of embryos as children—have prompted renewed scrutiny of IVF practices. President Donald Trump has advocated for broader IVF access, while the Southern Baptist Convention has called for restrictions, arguing that IVF “destroys embryonic human life.”
Principal Actors
- Dr. John Gordon – former Washington, D.C., clinic co-director; now founder of Rejoice Fertility.
- Allison Gordon – engineer and co-founder; shares the clinic’s faith-based mission.
- Sarah Coe Atkinson – senior embryologist who oversees embryo handling.
- Patients – include Latter-day Saint couple Maggie and Cade Lichfield, Catholic-background couple Domenic and Olivia D’Agostino, and embryo-adopting family Adrienne and Colby McKnight.
- Church elders – leaders of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church who support the clinic’s approach.
Data and Statistics
Medical experts estimate roughly 1.5 million frozen embryos are stored in the United States, a figure that advocates suggest may be higher. Rejoice limits embryo creation by using lower-dose medication protocols, which typically yields fewer eggs and reduces total embryo count. A full IVF cycle at Rejoice costs between $8,000 and $10,000. In 2025, a 31-year-old frozen embryo treated at the clinic resulted in a live birth, setting a reported record for longest storage before successful implantation.
Significance of the Model
Rejoice Fertility illustrates a concrete response to the clash between reproductive technology and evangelical Christian ethics. By aligning clinical practice with a theological view that treats embryos as human life, the clinic offers an alternative for patients who consider conventional IVF morally untenable, while also influencing broader discussions about regulation, insurance coverage, and the societal definition of personhood.
Official Statements & Responses
- The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision eliminated federal abortion rights, prompting legal scholars to question IVF’s status under the new framework.
- The Alabama Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling declared embryos “children,” raising concerns about consent and disposal practices.
- President Trump’s administration announced measures to expand IVF access, citing economic and family-building benefits.
- The Southern Baptist Convention issued a formal statement urging restrictions on IVF that involve embryo destruction.
- Elders of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church publicly endorsed Rejoice’s mission, emphasizing alignment with their doctrinal stance on the sanctity of life.
Criticism & Opposition
Some evangelical leaders and anti-abortion activists maintain that any form of IVF is ethically compromised, regardless of embryo-preservation policies. Christian ethicist Matthew Lee Anderson, while praising Gordon’s procedural changes, reiterated his broader opposition to IVF. Legal disputes have arisen between Gordon and the previous clinic owner over the acquisition.
Patient Perspectives on the Ground
Maggie Lichfield expressed relief that “you’re still letting God be God,” after successful embryo transfers at Rejoice. Domenic D’Agostino described the clinic’s approach as “the biggest one for me because… there’s not much difference between discarding an embryo and abortion.” Adrienne McKnight, who adopted embryos through the clinic’s “Embryo Rescue” program, said the process gave the embryos “a chance at life.” Emily Martin, an anti-abortion Christian, reported nightly anxiety over stored embryos, underscoring the emotional weight of surplus embryos.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
National data on the exact number of frozen embryos remain imprecise; estimates vary between 1.5 million and higher figures cited by advocacy groups. The legal status of embryos differs across states, creating uncertainty for clinics and patients. Cost comparisons between Rejoice and other IVF providers lack comprehensive public reporting.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It's too morally problematic,” Gordon thought. “I don’t know where you draw the line.” — John Gordon
- “I need to practice in a way that I can live with the decisions I'm making.” — John Gordon
- “You're still letting God be God,” — Maggie Lichfield
- “That was the biggest one for me because in my eyes there's not much difference between discarding an embryo and abortion,” — Domenic D’Agostino
- “I don't necessarily believe in everything he believes in, but I believe in what we're doing in terms of helping these embryos become lives.” — Sarah Coe Atkinson
- “Really it's just giving her a chance at life and just freeing her from being frozen,” — Adrienne McKnight
What’s Next
Rejoice plans to recruit additional physicians and expand its “Embryo Rescue” program. Ongoing litigation with the former clinic owner and continued legislative debates over embryo status suggest that the intersection of faith-based IVF practice and U.S. law will remain a contested arena.
