Strollerderby

Mom Gets OK to Collect Dead Son's Sperm

Posted by JeanneSager

Somewhere in Texas a grandmother-to-be needs to get a grip. 

Marissa Evans told a judge she wanted the rights to collect her dead twenty-one-year-old's sperm to make a grandchild because "I want him to live on. I want to keep a piece of him." The worst part? The judge said, yeah, OK, sounds good to me.

What is wrong with this picture? Oh boy, where do we begin? Maybe with the fact that Nikolas Evans is dead. Or with the fact that he was twenty-one when he died. Or how about the fact that this was his mother we're talking about?

Because a guy's random statements that he wanted to have children one day . . . and taking his sperm from his cold, dead body (I'm not being callous here, the judge got involved because they had to guarantee the sperm was gathered before his body cooled to less than 39.2 degree) are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Marissa Evans said her son really wanted to kids one day. He even had names picked out - Hunter, Van and Tod. 

It's sad that this man did not get to live out his dreams, sadder still that a life was lost at twenty-one. But let's face it, children are not put on this earth for a parent's sake. We as parents create kids because we want to give them life, provide for them, help make them into productive members of society. It's supposed to be an unselfish act; living for someone else. Unfortunately, we all know too many parents who look to their kids to do for them instead of the other way around. 

And that's just what Marissa Evans is expecting of an as-yet-unborn child. She wants them to replace her son, to give her a link to something she very sadly lost. Can you imagine the burden put on that tiny person's shoulders? An adult is pinning hopes and dreams on a child, who has no control over how similar or dissimilar they'll be to their dead parent.

She's not the first - a couple in New York just recently lost the fight to use their dead son's sperm to impregnate a surrogate, because they wanted to do the exact same thing. That fight was lost at the surrogacy stage, and hopefully this one will be too - or, better yet, when Marissa Evans moves past the denial stage of the grieving process, she'll realize she cannot bring her son back. 

What do you think Babble readers? Would you be shooting lightning bolts downward if someone got hold of your sperm or eggs and wanted to make babies after your death?

Image: CyprusIVF

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Comments

 

kyraneeds said:

Do you suppose she had discussed raising his child (from the laboratory) in the event of his death?

I caught The Today Show as the mother was being interviewed by Matt Lauer.  It was very apparent to me that this mother was in a great deal of pain - getting the better of  her judgement as well.

April 9, 2009 1:27 PM
 

Marj said:

I would prefer my ovum were not harvested from my dead body.  Yikes.  It would be sad that I didn't get to have kids, but it would be just as sad for me to create them and then walk away.  I would prefer my loved ones find other ways to grieve.  Perhaps they could find already living children to help.

April 9, 2009 3:35 PM
 

Twyla said:

My dad died when I was 2. It makes me sick to think someone would want to bring a child into this world knowing the child would not have a father.

I have sat here a while trying to put it into words and I just can't. Not knowing your father or if he loved you or having stories you remember is a very empty feeling.

The best I can say is hearing about what this woman is attempting actually makes my heart hurt for the unborn baby.

April 9, 2009 4:36 PM
 

maeby said:

it just seems completely selfish to me. Bringing a baby into this world wont bring her son back. And what if it looks absolutely nothing like him? I mean i'm sure thats what shes counting on for comfort.

I feel terrible for her loss, but this isn't right.

April 9, 2009 6:05 PM

About JeanneSager

Jeanne Sager is a writer who lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, a dog and too many cats. She refuses to believe motherhood comes with pumpkin appliqued sweaters, and she';s not ready to apologize for having only one child. She writes about raising her kid in her own hometown and the mom stuff she's not embarrassed to own at her blog, Inside Out (http://jeannesager.blogspot.com), she's contributing editor of Grand Magazine, and she's a regular essayist here on Babble

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