Whats your view on the Natallie Evans case? (Frozen Embryos)?

Question

Do you think she should be allowed to use embryos made with her ex partner,as she is infertile after cancer treatment, or do you think he has every right to refuse consent?

Answer 1

I think he has the right to refuse consent just as she should be able to refuse to allow him to implant the embryos in a new girlfriend.

Although she can say she would sign papers stating he is not legally obligated to any children she carries to term, that is a pretty cold way to look at it. From his angle, he is a dad and there is a child out there that may have his mom's eyes or his chin. He is supposed to ignore the kid's existence?

I think we create problems today when we treat men like sperm donors who have no feelings for the children they create.

That being said, I think he could be more compassionate about this, but that is HIS choice and he should be allowed to make it.

Answer 2

Morally speaking I don't see what his problem is. If he can be given guarantees that he'll never be asked to pay for or have any dealings with the child, I don't know why he can't just say yes. Mind you, it's possible she behaved towards him in a way that left him feeling that he didn't want her to bring up a child of his - we never know the full truth, do we?

Legally speaking, they both signed the contract for IVF in the full knowledge that either could withdraw their consent any time before implantation. To change the rules on him after the fact would seem wrong.

Comparatively speaking, in 99% of conceptions, the man's right to choose ANYTHING about the fate of a baby ends the minute his spermatozoa are placed in with the egg. I don't happen to think that's fair, but it's certainly the way it works with natural conception. I'm not sure why IVF conception should be any different.

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Dreamah, the logical conclusion of your argument is that the father of an unborn baby should be able to demand an abortion just like the mother can. Are you sure that's reasonable?

Answer 3

Yes I do think she should be abllowed to use these embryos - they are the only chance she will ever have of bearing her own biological child. No woman would choose an egg donor baby over her own biological child who is related to her and has her eyes etc.

That ex partner is a cruel bastard - he can go and have kids of his own with whatever woman he ends up with but poor Natalie has been denied that choice.

If he doesn't want to be involved with the kids then he doesn't have to be, I'm sure she can find a REAL man who'll be a father to them. This guy just seems like a weasly little coward who is happy to make embryos but not happy to go through with fatherhood, even to help this poor woman have a child of her own. Shame on him.

Answer 4

I feel sorry for her. After all he had given his consent in the past and what would have happened if she got pregnant before they split up? She doesn't want any money from him and I guess it would be free to him to get involved or not with the child.
It is difficult, because it is also the man's baby and he has rights too. But having had cancer is bad enough, then loosing the partner and then not getting the baby she wanted, hey, that is very sad. I can understand why she is fighting.

Answer 5

I think she should be able to use them. After all, if they had been able to have children, he wouldn't be able to say that he wanted them put down because he didn't want them anymore.

I really don't understand what his problem is. She has offered to sign documents stating that she wants no financial help from him and he can choose to have nothing to do with the child's life. But instead he wants to condemn a woman to never being able to have children. It just strikes me as a deeply selfish thing to do. And that's before you get to the morality of destroying human embryos for no other reason than a fit of pique. Those eggs should have the right to have the chance to grow into little people.

Answer 6

I have really thought about this...

My instincts say she should have been allowed to go ahead and use the embryos.. afterall conception had already taken place.

However when you reverse the situation I am not sure... if I had gone through the IVF and broken up with my OH I would never allow him to take our embryos and plant them in surrogate.. even if it was his last chance at conceiving.

But then I don't think I could go through IVF and decide two years later that I didn't want that child, even if I had split up with the father.

Answer 7

It's a tricky one, but I think the guy gave his consent and he shouldn't be able to take that away.
Otherwise what's the next step - if a woman gets pregnant and the guy doesn't want it, he has the right to stop her from having that child?
I couldn't understand why she still wanted to have a child who was 50% of someone she hated so much. I would have thought egg donor for her and a child who was 50% her new partner would be more appealing.

Answer 8

i think that something like bringing a child into the world should be a joint decision i don't think that either should be able to make a decision without the other ones consent at the end of the day bringing a child into the work is both parents responsibilities and if one of the parents doesn't wasn't a child brought in to the word it wouldn't be fair on the child.

Answer 9

I feel sorry for that lady, but I guess a man does have the right to withdraw his consent if he wants, the baby would be half his after all. Personally I think it is a little petty, its not as if ms Evans was asking him for any money or anything.

Answer 10

It's a tough call, but I would have to say no. Once the baby had been born she could take him to the CSA for maintenance for a child he didn't want in the first place. I'm aware that Ms Evans really wants a child but we can't always have what we want in life.