When Baruch Ben Yigal got the phone call that his son had been killed in military action in Israel three years ago, the next phone call he answered asked him if he wanted his dead son’s sperm harvested.
The grieving father had never heard of ‘sperm retrieval’, but, after his initial shock, he told the Israeli Army representative offering him the service ‘yes’.
He didn’t know at that time what exactly would then happen to the sperm but what has happened since is a legal battle that looks set to change fertilisation laws in Israel – and lay groundwork for laws to change in other countries too.
Israel already allows the wives of fallen soldiers to posthumously use their sperm for in vitro fertilisations (IVF). Mr Ben Yigal wants that extended to include the parents of fallen soldiers.
But with many ethical questions underpinning the issue, it’s unclear what the future of these fatherless children would be like – especially if they live in the shadow of the memories their grieving grandparents have for the child they were so keen to memorialise.
Do you think sperm should be harvested from the deceased? How would you feel if it was your own childless child who had passed and you wanted a reminder of them to live on? Should hopeful grandparents have this right? Share your stories in the comments below.
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