Parents of a deceased West Point cadet may use his sperm to become grandparents, a judge ruled last week.
Peter Zhu, 21, died in a ski accident in February that fractured his spinal cord and prevented oxygen from reaching his brain. His sperm was retrieved during organ donation surgery, after his parents Yongmin and Monica Zhu obtained court permission to preserve his sperm.
But last week, his parents were given the green light to use the sperm to potentially produce a child with a surrogate mother.
“At this time, the court will place no restrictions on the use to which Peter’s parents may ultimately put their son’s sperm, including its potential use for procreative purposes,” New York Supreme Court Justice John Colangelo wrote in a ruling Thursday.
Although he said he didn’t find any state or federal laws barring the parents from attempting to produce a grandchild, he cautioned some doctors may refuse to help due to ethical concerns.
According to Zhu’s parents, the late West Point cadet was eager to have a big family and wanted to pass along the Zhu name to his children. Only male children may pass down family names in Chinese culture.
“When Peter was born, his grandfather cried tears of joy that a son was born to carry on our family’s name,” his parents said in a court petition in March. “Peter took this role very seriously, and fully intended to carry on our family’s lineage through children of his own.”
“We are desperate to have a small piece of Peter that might live on and continue to spread the joy and happiness that Peter brought to all of our lives,” they said.
