Grieving Brits create ‘designer grandson’
Tragic son’s sperm harvested
A DEAD man’s grieving parents harvested his sperm to create a “designer grandson”.
The wealthy British couple, who are in their 50s, bypassed UK laws by paying a surrogate in the US to give birth to the male heir.
IVF specialist Dr David Smotrich said the grandparents chose the gender and egg donor and were bringing up the child, now aged three, in the UK.
Dr Smotrich, based in San Diego, California, said: “It was a privilege to be able to help them.”
Dr Smotrich said the couple were extremely rich and from a “notable” family. Their son died in a motorbike crash four years ago but it was two days before his body was discovered. His sperm was retrieved, frozen, and flown to the States a year later.
Dr Smotrich said the couple were very specific about the sex, egg donor and surrogate, picking someone they believed their son would have married. They returned to the UK after being named the boy’s legal guardians.
The entire process, including hospital fees for the birth, can cost around £100,000 in the US.
The son did not give consent but Dr Smotrich’s office manager said: “The mother told me it’s what he would have wanted.”