Embryonic stems research is inherently controversial because in order to use the stem cells for science, the embryo, which is a collection of cells that could develop into a fully formed human, is destroyed, even though embryos in these procedures are left over from in vitro fertilization.
Butler is understandably a little bit whiny and mopey, as Annie works through the adoption bureaucracy while continuing to recover from a serious depression over the years of miscarriages, in-vitro-fertilization attempts and fertility drugs.
In practice, the embryos used in the collection of stem cells were left over from attempts to assist reproduction -- donated by couples who used in vitro fertilization.