夫妻离婚时的冷冻胚胎归属问题研究
Research on the Ownership of Frozen Embryos When Couples Divorce

在通过人工辅助生殖技术诞育新生儿的过程中，胚胎产生与母体受孕之间存在时间差，若胚胎产生后夫妻感情破裂，双方对冷冻胚胎是否植入子宫产生分歧，纠纷由此产生。冷冻胚胎的本质为物，只是因为其有发展成为生命的可能，因此具有人格利益，是一种特殊物，其处分受到一定的限制。在就冷冻胚胎的处置发生纠纷时，夫妻双方是胚胎的所有者，医疗机构应当返还冷冻胚胎，而在夫妻离婚时，冷冻胚胎的处置应当以双方最新合意为准，在无法达成合意时，法院综合各方面因素进行利益衡量，作出最终判决。一方擅自毁弃胚胎将侵犯另一方的共有权、生育权。若女方擅自植入胚胎并产下子女，男方应当被视为单纯的捐精者，对该子女既不享有权利也无须履行义务。
In the process of giving birth to a newborn through artificial assisted reproductive technology, there is a time interval between the embryogenesis and the pregnancy. If the relationship between husband and wife breaks down after the embryo is produced, the two parties have a disagreement regarding whether or not to implant the cryopreserved embryo into the uterus, leading to a dispute as a consequence. The essence of the frozen embryo is an object of property rights. Because it has the possibility of developing into life, it has personality interests and is a special object, and its disposal is subject to certain restrictions. In the case of a dispute over the disposal of frozen embryos, the couple are the owners of the embryos. The medical institution should return the frozen embryos. When the couple divorce, the disposal of frozen embryos should be subject to the latest agreement of the two parties. In the case of failure to reach agreement, the court should weigh the interests of various factors and make a final judgment. One party’s unauthorized destruction of embryos will violate the other party’s co-ownership and reproductive rights. If a wife implants an embryo without the consent of her husband and gives birth to a child, the husband should be considered a mere sperm donor, with no rights or obligations to the child.