Marriage trapped by husband's and mistress's embryos

Upon discovering her husband used a fake marriage certificate for IVF with his mistress, Ms. Zhu declared she would not divorce until their embryos were destroyed.

On 3/9, Ms. Zhu of Wuxi city, Jiangsu province, continued to pursue her complaint against her husband and the other woman.

This complex case began in 2025 when Ms. Zhu discovered her husband used a fake marriage certificate to undergo assisted reproductive procedures with his mistress at a hospital in Shanghai. They had performed in vitro fertilization (IVF), creating embryos that had not yet been transferred to a uterus.

Ms. Zhu reported the incident to the hospital, which confirmed the embryos had been sealed. After the National Health Commission refused to intervene, stating it was beyond its jurisdiction, she filed a lawsuit against her husband, his mistress, and the hospital at the Xuhui District Court, Shanghai. She demanded 100,000 yuan (CNY) in compensation for emotional distress from the hospital, requiring the mistress to issue a public apology, and her husband to cover legal costs.

On the morning of 30/7, prior to a preliminary hearing for this case, Ms. Zhu received a court summons, indicating her husband had filed for divorce. In court, she stated she would not agree to end the marriage until the embryos were destroyed.

"If the embryos are destroyed, this marriage will definitely end," she said.

On 3/8, Ms. Zhu reported to authorities in Wuxi, accusing her husband of bigamy. A day later, she requested the investigative agency to oversee a criminal case, as her husband and his mistress had previously been administratively detained for 5 days for using fake documents.

On 5/8, the husband stated the embryos had been destroyed. However, Ms. Zhu asserted she had not received official notification from the hospital and therefore could not confirm it.

By 13/8, the court announced the husband had withdrawn his divorce petition. Concurrently, Ms. Zhu's efforts to press bigamy charges faced obstacles. Documents from 31/8 showed Wuxi police did not initiate a criminal case due to insufficient evidence. The Liangxi District Court also refused to accept her case, citing a lack of proof.

Ms. Zhu stated her husband was frequently absent from home and traveled with his mistress on multiple occasions, but she found it difficult to prove they shared a fixed residence.