Baby born four years after parents’ death in car crash
Surrogate mother from Laos gave birth to the boy after legal battle in China over use of frozen embryos
A baby has been born in China, four years after both his parents were killed in a car accident.
The boy, called Tiantian - Sweetie in Mandarin - was born in a hospital in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, “after his grandparents won a year-long court battle to use a frozen embryo”, says China Daily. A surrogate mother from Laos gave birth to the child in December, according to Chinese media reports.
His late parents, Shen Jie and his wife Liu Xi, had been undergoing fertility treatment before their death in a road accident in East China’s Jiangsu province.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Following the crash, the parents of both Shen and Liu spent years trying to persuade the authorities to hand over frozen embroyos from the dead woman that were stored at a local hospital. They finally obtained a court order allowing them to obtain four of the embryos, before “smuggling them over the border to Laos and finding a surrogate mother”, The Times reports.
Surrogacy is illegal in China. The case was further complicated by the fact that “China does not have a legal precedent for the parents of couples inheriting their children’s embryos”, reports the South China Morning Post.
Even after the court ruling in favour of the grandparents, the hospital holding the embryos insisted it would only give them to another medical institute, “but no other Chinese clinic would take them because of legal concerns”, adds The Times.
Dr Ding Lijun, from the hospital that originally held the embryos, told China Daily that although hospital authorities were sympathetic to the families involved, they were cautious about handing embryos to individuals.
“There are thresholds for practicing every technology, and without the threshold, which we must strictly abide by, the technology runs the risk of being abused,” she said.
The grandparents finally secured the embryos after finding a hospital in Laos willing to impregnate the surrogate.
Hu Xingxian, Tianian’s maternal grandmother, said: “We named him Sweetie, because we hoped his arrival would bring sweetness to us after the bitterness.”
Their next dilemma is how to tell Tiantian about his unusual start in life. The boy’s paternal grandfather, Shen Xinnan, was quoted as saying that he only plans to tell Tiantan what happened to his parents when he is older, and that in the meantime, he will be told his parents are living overseas.
“For sure we will tell him what happened - what choice do we have?” Shen said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Modern royal scandals from around the world
The Explainer From Spain to the UAE, royal families have often been besieged by negative events
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published