Sophia Vergara faces a potential lawsuit from … wait for it … her own fertilized eggs.
Before you wonder what kind of sick joke this is, let me break it down for you: This is not satire. It’s real life, y’all. And it’s bizarre as hell.
According to BBC News, the Modern Family actress could find herself in court with her own embryos, conceived through IVF in 2013 with then partner Nick Loeb, as plaintiff.
The embryos, named Isabella and Emma, are, according to court documents, beneficiaries of a trust created for them in Louisiana. The problem, however, is that without being born, they cannot inherit the trust, which is the crux of this whole mess.
Vergara and Loeb, who separated in 2014, signed a contract stipulating that neither could pursue further action involving the embryos without the other’s consent. Loeb, who has tried unsuccessfully to obtain custody of the embryos, believes the couple went into the arrangement with the understanding that the embryos would be brought to life, and he wants to see just that so they may get what’s coming to them (trust-wise, not mob-hit-wise or anything). According to the lawsuit, though, Vergara, who is now married to actor Joe Manganiello, refuses to allow the embryos to be implanted into a surrogate to be brought to term.
Louisiana, a pro-life state, recognizes the embryos as “juridical persons,” which, combined with Loeb’s desire that they earn their inheritance, means Vergara could very well see this thing come to fruition.
I don’t know about anyone else, but the idea of my fertilized eggs suing me in court sounds like something out of the Twilight Zone, not real life. I mean, what the fresh hell is happening right now?
Regardless of what your stance on the pro-life/pro-choice debate is, one has to seriously wonder about the ethics involved in forcing a woman to implant her embryos into another person and bring them into this world.
Perhaps at the time of conception, Vergara had real intentions of seeing this thing through. But since then, the couple has gone their separate ways. Aside from the numerous reasons I can think of off the top of my head for why Vergara may not want to take this course of action, Vergara herself likely has her own very personal and very logical reasons for not believing this is in anyone’s best interest.
I can’t help but feel both flabbergasted and furious that this could actually fly today. We have come too far where women’s rights are concerned to completely disregard a woman’s choices when it comes to her own reproduction, or worse, legally mandate that she go against her convictions when it comes to what is ultimately her own non-living, biological property (I don’t care what Louisiana says). Property, I might add, that is protected by a contract she and Loeb both signed.
It’s stuff like this that makes me scared for the world my kids will inherit. Dystopian novels featuring abusive, controlling governments will no longer be just for entertainment. They’re already quickly becoming our reality.
In other news, I hope my used tampons don’t get any ideas. Things are already weird enough between us. But having to see them in court? No, thanks.