A decision by South Korean actress Lee Si-young to become pregnant with her second child via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) without the formal consent of her former husband has sparked a debate on reproductive rights and parental responsibility in such a scenario.
Lee married restaurateur Cho Seong-hyun in 2017 and they had their first son the next year. While married, the couple reportedly underwent IVF in preparation for a second child, but they did not follow through with embryo implantation.
Cho, who divorced Lee in March this year, has not given consent to his ex-wife’s embryo being implanted.
On Tuesday, Lee shared news of her pregnancy on social media, saying that as the five-year storage period for her frozen embryo was almost over, she chose to have it implanted.
“My ex-husband did not agree, but I have decided to bear the full weight of this decision. I could not bring myself to discard the embryo that was nearing the end of its storage period. My life as a mother has always been my greatest source of strength,” the 43-year-old actress wrote.
Cho told local media that he was initially against his ex-wife’s decision as they were divorced, but said he would bear his responsibilities as a father given Lee’s pregnancy.
