Sofia Vergara’s Ex-Fiancé Sues to Stop Destruction of Frozen Embryos They Created

Bioethics   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Apr 16, 2015   |   5:18PM   |   Washington, DC

Nick Loeb has filed a lawsuit against Modern Family actress, Sofia Vergara, in an attempt to stop her from destroying a pair of frozen embryos they created while they were engaged.

In May 2014, the couple broke off their engagement after four years of dating. A source close to Loeb explained that he didn’t want to see the embryos destroyed because he’s always believed that life begins at conception. The couple created the embryos through in vitro fertilization.

The lawsuit was filed under a pseudonym and states, “John Doe seeks to ensure that the Female Embryos are not destroyed, but Jane Doe [Vergara] refuses to agree to their preservation under all circumstances.” The lawsuit also alleges that Vergara was both physically and emotionally abusive toward Loeb.

However, other sources say that Loeb is just trying to stay apart of Vergara‘s life. One source told Radar Online, “If these embryos were implanted into a surrogate, Nick would almost certainly go after Sofia for child support. As the highest paid actress on television, the financial incentive needs to also be considered.”

As LifeNews previously reported, one of the problems with in vitro fertilization is that unused or unwanted embryos are often discarded or destroyed. Unfortunately in 2011, a study in the journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine revealed that 19% of unused embryos are discarded and 3% are donated for scientific research.

Additionally, a technique called “selective reduction” is sometimes used after in vitro fertilization. This is because to increase success rates IVF practitioners often implant more than one embryo in the woman’s uterus in hopes that at least one will take. Then if more embryos than are desired implant, doctors “reduce” the pregnancy down to the desired number.

 

During a selective reduction abortion, a needle filled with potassium chloride is plunged into the heart of the targeted baby and the child dies. This type of abortion is performed 9 to 13 weeks into pregnancy to ensure that the dead babies’ bodies dissolve; but in some cases, the baby moves around before dying.

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Dr. Mark Evans, an abortionist infamous for selective reduction abortions, admits that the procedure reduces the chances of survival for the remaining babies anywhere from 7 to 22%.

 

In 2007, Dr. Evans’ sonographer, Rachel Greenbaum told the Washington Post that she struggles with the morality of selective reduction abortions. She said, “I don’t particularly like doing the reductions. I find it very stressful. With every patient, I think, If it was me, what would I do? Some of these people tried to get pregnant for the past five years and prayed to God. And now that they are pregnant, they are telling God: You gave me too many. I sometimes feel like we are playing God, and that is very emotionally stressful.”