NATION : Frozen Embryo Custody Trial Starts

MARYVILLE, Tenn. — The trial in an unprecedented custody battle over seven frozen embryos opened today with lawyers debating whether the mother has the right to bear the “test-tube babies” against the father’s wishes.

Mary Sue Davis, 28, contends that the embryos created through in vitro fertilization are “pre-born children” and she wants the right to have them implanted in her womb. Her estranged husband, Junior Davis, 30, argues that use of the fertilized eggs held in frozen storage would force him into unwanted fatherhood.

Davis won a temporary court order against his wife’s use of the eggs after filing for divorce in February to end their nine-year marriage. He told reporters that he does not want his children to suffer the pain of a broken home.