A veteran Spanish TV actress who paid for a surrogate pregnancy revealed this week that the child belonged to her deceased son.
"This was Aless's final wish, to bring a child of his own into the world," Ana Obregón said, revealing that the father of the child was her own son who died of cancer at the age of 27.
Obregón, 68, caused a firestorm in Spain when the press learned that she had paid for a surrogate to have a baby for her. Aless Lequio, her son, passed away in 2020, but before he died, a sample of his sperm was frozen and stored in New York, according to the BBC.
Obregón used a surrogate of Cuban origin living in Florida and flew to New York for the child’s birth. The child, named Ana Sandra, will be registered at the Spanish consulate before returning to Madrid.
WORLD'S MOST PREMATURE TWINS' PARENTS SPEAK ABOUT FAITH, BABIES' FIGHTING SPIRIT
"This girl is not my daughter, but rather my granddaughter," Obregón told Spanish magazine ¡Hola!
"If that was my son's last will and testament, how could I not do it?" she added. The magazine also revealed that the baby was born on March 20, having been conceived last June when her son would have turned 30.
‘NASHVILLE’ ACTRESS LAURA BENANTI SUFFERS MISCARRIAGE WHILE PERFORMING ON STAGE
Paying for surrogate pregnancies is banned in Spain and most of the European Union, but Obregón can register a surrogate child born in another country. Countries including Ireland, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands allow the practice but only under strict conditions, according to Euronews.
Spain’s Equality Minister Irene Montero called surrogacy a "form of violence against women." The country’s Socialist party intends to amend legislation to prevent Spanish citizens from seeking surrogacy in other countries the way Obregón did.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Obregón called the debate around her decision and the surrogacy "absurd," even though there exists a potential complication, since Spain’s civil code prevents adoption of "a descendant." Obregón argued that she is legally the child’s mother, even if she is biologically the grandmother.
Obregón also said she hasn’t ruled out providing her granddaughter with a brother or sister.