(WSJ) – Costly and emotionally taxing efforts to have children can be jeopardized when couples split

Nelson was still married in 2020 when the fertility clinic called her at work with devastating news: Her husband had just requested the destruction of the embryos they created through in vitro fertilization, or IVF. During a fight the night before, he had said he no longer wanted to be a father.

She hadn’t thought he was serious until the call from the clinic. Nelson said she filed for divorce soon after.

That phone call launched a $10,000 legal battle for the now 37-year-old metal factory worker, who had saved for years to pay for IVF treatment. The case highlights what lawyers say has become a growing problem in divorce proceedings: What happens to frozen embryos when marriages end? 

The answer can determine the fate of what is often a costly and emotionally taxing effort to have children. (Read More)