Peter Zhu, West Point Cadet’s Sperm Case: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Peter Zhu, a US Military Academy West Point cadet, suffered fatal injuries after a ski accident last month. His parents petitioned the courts to save their son’s sperm–because they need it to continue their family name.

Another skier had found the 21-year-old Zhu unresponsive. Zhu had been scheduled to graduate this year, he was president of the Cadet Medical Society, and reports say that he was a top cadet. He would have received a commission as a medical corps officer, according to reports. Additionally, Zhu would have attended medical school at the Uniformed Services University of Health Science in Maryland, reports say.

His parents have been adamant about the fight to retrieve his sperm, in the wake of his passing. So far, the courts have allowed the parents to continue their mission to retrieve the sperm, but the matter is not closed.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Peter Zhu Was Declared Brain-Dead at First Until He Later Died

Zhu, 21 was found on a ski slope at the United States Military Academy at West Point, lying in the snow. His fatal incident happened on Feb. 23, according to reports.

The results of Zhu’s accident were that his spine was severely fractured. Medical units reportedly took him to Westchester Medical Center, in the state of New York.

After he arrived at Westchester Medical Center, he was declared brain-dead on the reported date of Feb. 27. Zhu was an organ donor, so, as a result, his body was kept alive until March 1.

2. One of the Reasons Peter Zhu’s Parents Want to Save His Sperm Is Because He’s Their Only Son

GettyNew cadets begin six weeks of basic training before Acceptance Day.

“This is our one and only chance of fulfilling Peter’s wishes and preserving his incredible legacy,” his parents’ petition said. According to reports, Zhu was the only male born to his generation.

Reports state that according to Chinese culture, Zhu would have been the only one eligible to carry on the family name to the next generation.

Zhu was reportedly the only male born into his generation of the Zhu family. The Chinese government’s one-child policy reportedly kept his father’s (Yongmin Zhu’s) brothers, i.e. his uncles, from having more children after they had one daughter each–as Zhu’s parents’ court documents allege.

3. Zhu’s Parents Claim That Being a Father Was One of the 21-Year-Old’s Goals

“Peter was the love of our lives,” his parents reportedly said in their petition to keep his sperm. “He has brought us more joy, pride, and happiness than words can say.” Zhu’s parents were adamant about not only retrieving his sperm for their legacy but–according to them–his legacy and wishes as well.

Zhu’s parents, Yongmin and Monica Zhu of Concord, California, filed the petition to retrieve Zhu’s sperm on Friday morning. According to their petition, the young Zhu had “always wanted to live on a ranch and raise a family and have horses.”

Evidence of this claim of the young Zhu’s wishes has not yet emerged in reports, but his family was successfully able to present the claim to the courts on behalf of Zhu. A state Supreme Court judge granted Zhu’s parents’ petition to save their son’s sperm, but courts have not said what can be done with the sperm.

4. A Set of Rules for Whether One Should Retrieve Sperm or Other Reproductive Material from Zhu or Other Deceased Parties, Does Exist

Secretary Mattis addressed 950 graduating cadets.

The Ethics Committee for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has procedures for posthumous retrieval for reproduction and released a set of guiding rules for it in 2018, according to CNN. Procedures of this kind, according to the Committee, are only ethically justified if there’s written authorization for the procedure from the deceased.

If the deceased doesn’t have a surviving spouse, the Committee said in its guiding rules, that retrieval from the deceased in that case would be “troubling.” The Committee explicitly states that no surviving parent would have, or should have, an ethical claim to his or her child’s reproductive materials. No parent would have been ethically involved in a reproductive effort with his or her child the same way a spouse or partner would, according to the Committee’s reasoning.

It should be noted that another hearing is scheduled for Zhu’s parents on March 21 in New York Supreme Court, to decide what they can or cannot do with his sperm.

5. The Hospital That Treated Zhu Was Hesitant to Retrieve His Sperm, But Willing if Courts Granted

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Doctors at Westchester Medical Center, where Zhu’s was being treated, were reportedly hesitant to perform any sperm retrieval procedure on Zhu. However, they were willing to move forward with the procedure if Zhu’s family could get legal authorization to do so from the courts, according to the Zhus’ petition. The Zhus stated in their petition that Westchester Medical Center’s workers were “extremely kind and understanding.”

Zhu’s parents’ court proceedings then fell under time constraints, because Zhu was being kept on life support because he was an organ donor. His parents needed to rush to the New York Supreme Court, where Judge John Colangelo reportedly granted their request two hours after it was filed on Friday morning.

Colangelo’s motion only granted removal of Zhu’s sperm. His motion did not decide conclusively what could be done with the sperm. According to reports, doctors were granted permission to remove the sperm, and then the sperm is to be stored at a sperm bank or similar facility until the court can conclusively determine the outcome of the matter.

According to reports, neither the Zhus nor a lawyer for the family wished to comment or confirm whether the procedure went ahead as they had requested or whether Zhu remains on life support.