The future is often unpredictable, but science is always advancing. When this couple lost their lives, it almost tore their family apart—until another idea came to light.
Planning for the Future
Shen Jie and Liu Xi wanted, more than anything, to have a child together. The couple had been happily married for two years but were running into problems conceiving. Thankfully, the miracle of modern medicine allowed them a second chance at parenthood.
Unseen Events
Unfortunately, due to a tragic accident, Shen and Liu were deprived of the chance to meet their baby. In fact, Liu never became pregnant or gave birth to their son…who was born four years after her death. How was this possible?
Starting a Family
They had been married for two years when they decided it was time to try alternative methods of conception—in vitro fertilization. They created several embryos in preparation for the procedure, which were stored in deep freeze at a hospital in Nanjing.
Terrible Loss
Five days before Liu was scheduled to have one of the fertilized embryos implanted inside her, the couple lost their lives in a fatal car accident in March of 2013 near the coastal province of Jiangsu, China. However, due to modern medicine, their story didn’t end there.
Grieving
The couple’s bereaved parents were consumed by despair. Not only had they lost their own children, but their potential grandchildren as well. Miles away, Shen and Liu’s embryos were still waiting at the Nanjing hospital.
Only Hope
The four grieving parents came up with a plan. They decided to embark on an emotional legal journey that would test the boundaries of the law and reproductive technology…
The Process
They knew the only way for Shen and Liu’s hopes to live on was to gain custody of the embryos. In China, there is no existing precedent that speaks to the legality of inheriting embryos.
One Year Later
After a year of complicated proceedings, the Wuxi People’s Intermediate Court made their ruling…
Good News
The court in favor of Shen and Liu’s parents: “The embryos left by Shen Jie and Liu Xi have become the only carriers of the bloodlines of both families, and so they bear the burden of their grief and spiritual and emotional comfort.” Still, this was only the beginning…
The Next Step
The families then had to locate a facility that would be able to store the embryos in the appropriate cryogenic conditions. Unfortunately, another roadblock was reached: Chinese law did not allow the use of gestational surrogates.
Big Trouble
No hospital in China could find a way to handle the situation without facing extreme legal consequences. The families were at a loss. They began to look for surrogates outside the country…
Hope in Laos
In Laos, surrogacy was legal. The families thought this would be a perfect solution, but they faced yet another problem. How would they transport the embryos?
Roadtrip
Airlines refused to permit the liquid nitrogen storage container onboard an aircraft, which meant the embryos had to be transported out of the country via car. The families set off to meet a potential Laotian surrogate.
Successful Implantation
The surrogate underwent a procedure to implant the embryo in her uterus, which was successful. The months crept by at a glacial pace while the two families eagerly awaited the birth of their grandchild.
Healthy Baby
Nine months later, the surrogate traveled to China on a tourist visa to ensure the child was granted Chinese citizenship. Shen and Liu’s baby was finally born four years after their death.
Tiantian
Liu’s mother, Hu Xinxian, was over the moon. “Tiantian’s eyes look like my daughter’s but overall, he looks more like his father,” she said. Still, their journey is far from over.
Legal Complications
All four grandparents had to provide DNA to prove the baby boy, named Tiantian, was their biological grandchild, in order to keep custody of him. They haven’t decided how to tell him the truth about his background…
Joint Parenting
For now, all four of the grandparents will be jointly raising Tiantian. Shen Xinan, his paternal grandfather, said that they plan to tell him his parents are overseas until they feel he is old enough to understand the situation.
Difficult Choices
“This boy is destined to be sad on his arrival into the world. Other babies have their fathers and mothers, but he doesn’t,” said Shen.
A New Horizon
“We will definitely tell him in the future. How can we not?” The case was so extraordinary that it set a new precedent for how to handle unique IVF scenarios in China.
Complex Scenario
The circumstances of Tiantian’s birth were so complicated that it brought to light other issues surrounding the legal, ethical, and moral nuances regarding advanced reproductive technologies. What happens to an embryo in other cases when parents die, divorce, or disagree?
Embryos in Limbo
More than 1,000,000 embryos in the United States alone are currently in cold storage, some outlasting the people from which they came…
Options
Some embryos are inherited by the adult children of their creators, and others are implanted into the womb of the person who created them through an invasive procedure known as a “compassionate transfer.” However, every case is different…
Nuance
For instance, actress SofÃa Vergara of Modern Family was sued by her ex-husband for the right to implant two frozen embryos the couple had created into a surrogate mother.
Making a Case
The case against Vergara was that the embryos, according to her ex-partner, were being deprived of their right to inherit a trust fund.
Contractual Obligation
At the time, a signed contracted reportedly stipulated that neither partner could touch the embryos without the consent of the other…
Modern Science
In Vergara’s situation, the contract meant the case was dismissed. In other cases, embryos have been implanted long after the time they were first frozen, such as the case of Emma Wren Gibson.
Emma Wren Gibson
The couple who created the embryo in 1992 anonymously donated it more than 25 years later in 2017 to a couple that was likely infertile…
One Year Difference
Tina Gibson gave birth to Emma Wren Gibson at the age of 26, meaning that Emma’s embryo was only a year younger than her. All in all, science has allowed for a whole new horizon when it comes to IVF…
Advancements
Science is always moving forward. Although the debate surrounding embryos is often tackled from many different angles, Tiantian still serves as a reminder of his parents, Shen and Liu, and the joy they brought to this world.