As per a report by South China Morning Post, the girls, now eight and ten, were born in 2015 and 2017 in the US and hold American passports. (Reuters) A family court drama in Shanghai has gripped Chinese social media — a case involving two young girls born in the United States through suspected IVF, an absent father, and a late mother who kept the truth of their parentage a secret.
As per a report by South China Morning Post, the girls, now eight and ten, were born in 2015 and 2017 in the US and hold American passports. They had been raised in Shanghai by their mother and maternal grandfather, Wang, an 81-year-old retired man. Their mother died last year from cancer, leaving the children without a parent.
Wang stepped forward to seek legal guardianship, telling the court: “The two girls were raised by me and my daughter together. Now my daughter has gone. They have me as their sole relative,” SCMP reported.
But the case became tangled when the court found US-issued documents carrying a man’s name listed as their father. When summoned, he denied being their parent, saying the girls’ mother had once borrowed his passport for undisclosed reasons.
The children themselves had no memory of a father. Relatives said their mother had openly expressed her wish to have a “test-tube baby.”
After reviewing his health, finances, and ability to care for the girls, the Shanghai court ruled in Wang’s favour, granting him full guardianship.
The court noted that Wang was not only physically fit but also financially capable of raising his two granddaughters. He actively supports them in their education and daily lives, the judges observed.
Taking these factors into account, the bench concluded that the 81-year-old was best placed to care for the children and formally granted him guardianship.
“We have made this decision with the intention of maximising the interests of the juveniles,” said Chief Judge Sun Xuemei while delivering the ruling.
