Nick Loeb, the ex-fiancée of Modern Family actress Sofía Vergara, has spoken out about his desire to keep the frozen embryos that he created with Vergara during their engagement.

Nick Loeb On Frozen Embryos

Loeb and Vergara’s dispute over the embryos made headlines earlier this month when a legal document was leaked. The documents revealed that Loeb and Vergara, while engaged, had embryos created to be used with a surrogate. Following their breakup, two embryos remain, which Loeb wants the legal right to use to have children should he choose.

“When we create embryos for the purpose of life, should we not define them as life, rather than as property? Does one person’s desire to avoid biological parenthood outweigh another’s religious beliefs in the sanctity of life and desire to be a parent?” Loeb asks in his essay for The New York Times.

He continues, “A woman is entitled to bring a pregnancy to term even if the man objects. Shouldn’t a man who is willing to take on all parental responsibilities be similarly entitled to bring his embryos to term even if the woman objects? These are issues that, unlike abortion, have nothing to do with the rights over one’s own body, and everything to do with a parent’s right to protect the life of his or her unborn child.”

Through the court system, Loeb is hoping to have a form that he and Vergara signed that stipulated that the embryos could only be used with both of their consent voided. While Loeb hopes to have a family of his own one day, he does not want to pass up the chance to have the two children from the embryos he created with Vergara, partly for religious reasons and partly because of his deep desire to have children.

“If she did not wish to share custody, I would take on full parenting responsibilities and agree to have her declared an egg donor. She has refused. Her lawyer, Fred Silberberg, has told reporters that she wants to keep the embryos “frozen indefinitely.” In my view, keeping them frozen forever is tantamount to killing them,” Loeb writes. “I take the responsibility and obligation of being a parent very seriously. This is not just about saving lives; it is also about being pro-parent.”

Vergara is currently engaged to be married to True Blood and Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello.