A young woman who has fought to use sperm she harvested from her dead boyfriend’s body, will learn her fate in court on Wednesday.
Ayla Cresswell was granted permission to harvest sperm from her boyfriend Joshua Davies immediately after he died suddenly in August 2016.
Almost two years on, Ms Cresswell, 25, will learn whether she has the right to use that sperm to become a mother.
Ayla Cresswell was granted permission to harvest sperm from her boyfriend Joshua Davies immediately after he died suddenly in August 2016 (together)
The decision will be handed down in a Brisbane court on Wednesday.
Ms Cresswell, a bank worker, discovered her boyfriend dead in their Toowoomba home, 130km west of Brisbane in August 2016.
Within hours, Ms Creswell was granted permission to have Mr Davies’ testes and spermatozoa harvested and stored at an IVF facility.
Ms Cresswell said it was the young couple’s dream to start a family and have three children together.
‘It is my honest belief that this is what Joshua would have wanted,’ Ms Cresswell said (with Mr Davies)
After two years of relentless campaigning, a judge will decide whether Ms Cresswell (pictured right, with friends) can move forward with the process
‘Joshua told me that he was very excited at the prospect of being a father and we often talked about having children and the effect it would have on our lives,’ Ms Creswell told a court.
‘It is my honest belief that this is what Joshua would have wanted.’
After two years of relentless campaigning, a judge will decide whether Ms Cresswell can move forward with the process.
Justice Brown’s decision will consider Ms Cresswell’s ability to become a single parent based on her physical, emotional and financial status.
Ms Cresswell (left with supporters outside court) will learn her fate in Brisbane on Wednesday
After two years of relentless campaigning, a judge will decide whether Ms Cresswell (pictured second from left) can move forward with the process
Ms Cresswell (second from right) previously told the court she was financially able to become a single mother
Ms Cresswell previously told the court she was financially able to become a single mother.
‘I believe that I am sufficiently affluent to be able to raise a child by myself,’ she told the court.
The 25-year-old woman also has the support of her family and her late boyfriend’s family, who told the court they were very willing to help raise the children.
The decision will set a legal precedent in Australia for women seeking to use the sperm of their late partners to have children.
The 25-year-old woman also has the support of her family and her late boyfriend’s family, who told the court they were very willing to help raise the children (Ms Cresswell and Mr Davies)