The Wall Street Journal - 31.10.2019

A10B| Thursday, October 31, 2019 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.**

CONNECTICUT

Court Rules Embryos

Can Be Destroyed

Connecticut’s highest court

ruled Wednesday that frozen

embryos at the center of a di-

vorce case amount to marital

property and can be destroyed.

The unanimous opinion found

the couple had an enforceable

contract with a fertility clinic in

which they agreed to have the

embryos discarded should they

divorce. A lower court had ruled

the contract was unenforceable

and had granted ownership of

the embryos as property to the

woman, Jessica Bilbao.

Her now ex-husband, Timothy

Goodwin, had sought to preserve

the embryos in case the couple

reconciled or to have them do-

nated for eventual adoption.

The Supreme Court declined

to rule on Mr. Goodwin’s argu-

ment that embryos are human

lives and can’t be the subject of

such a contract.

Mr. Goodwin’s attorney said

the justices sidestepped the is-

sue of when life begins by find-

ing that his client had failed to

raise any argument during the

divorce trial that the embryos

couldn’t be considered property.

Ms. Bilbao declined to com-

ment through her attorney.

—Associated Press

NJ TRANSIT

Agreement Reached

To Build New Station

An deal has been reached to

build a new train station along

NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor

Line.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy

announced a memorandum of

understanding Wednesday be-

tween the state and the Middle-

sex County Improvement Au-

thority for the station at the

North Brunswick Transit Village,

a retail and residential center on

the site of the former Johnson

& Johnson facility along Route 1.

Some preliminary work will

be funded with $50 million from

the state’s Transportation Trust

Fund. The total cost of the proj-

ect and when it will be com-

pleted are unknown. NJ Transit

are set to vote on the deal at its

board meeting next month.

—Associated Press

UPSTATE NEW YORK

Dog Struck by Car

Survives ‘Ruff’ Ride

A dog hit by a car in upstate

New York rode for 45 minutes

wedged between the broken

bumper and the grille before the

driver realized she was carrying

an injured passenger.

Coco the Shiba Inu was being

treated for a fractured elbow af-

ter being struck Monday morn-

ing in Albany. Rotterdam police

said the driver knew she hit

something and noticed the car’s

damage, but didn’t see the dog

at first. She drove about 15 miles

to Rotterdam before hearing

noises and stopping to recheck

her car’s front end. She called

911 after she saw the dog gazing

from below the license plate.

A Schenectady veterinary

clinic worker told WNYT-TV that

16-pound Coco “fit perfectly” in

the space behind the bumper

and was lucky to be alive.

—Associated Press

GREATER NEW YORK WATCH

Hudson Valley duck farmers say the birds are treated well. Animal-rights activists say the process of producing foie gras is inhumane.

ENID B. ALVAREZ FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

poultry sold in supermarkets

and shops.

Councilwoman Carlina Ri-

vera, a Democrat from Man-

hattan who sponsored the bill,

said the legislation is about

“moving forward and trying to

be a more humane city.” Farm-

ers should pursue other ways

to make foie gras that don’t

involve force-feeding the ani-

mals, she said.

The Catskill Foie Gras Col-

lective, comprising the three

main producers of foie gras to

New York restaurants and re-

tail shops, said the ban re-

stricts dining choices and will

eliminate more than 400 jobs

and cut millions in revenue.

The group said it would chal-

lenge the ban in court.

Some of the city’s chefs

fear the ban could hurt sales

and lead to a similar fate for

other delicacies.

Marco Moreira, executive

chef and proprietor of Tocque-

ville in Manhattan, said the

restaurant serves foie gras

several ways—from an appe-

tizer of house-cured terrine of

foie gras to an entree pairing

foie gras and scallops.

The item is always in de-

mand and a definitive part of

the fine-dining experience, he

said.

“Some people will have

multiple courses of foie gras,”

he said, calling the ban “pre-

posterous.”

Mr. Moreira said attention

should be made to restaurants

offering industrial-grade beef

or chicken that is sourced

from large farms that don’t

pay as much heed to animal

welfare.

He also worries that the

ban will lead the city to dic-

tate how restaurants should

operate and what foods they

can or can’t serve.

“What’s the next thing?

Suckling pig?” he said.

Council Speaker Corey

Johnson, a Democrat who rep-

resents parts of Manhattan,

said restrictions on other food

could be considered on a case-

by-case basis, but they won’t

pose a major blow to the city’s

dining scene.

“The food culture of this

city is far beyond foie gras,”

he said. “I don’t buy that this

is somehow going to create

the collapse of food culture in

New York City.”

The bill was part of a pack-

age of other animal-welfare

measures, including restric-

tions on horse carriages dur-

ing high temperatures and a

tax credit for adopting shelter

animals. The proposals come

out of a desire to treat ani-

mals better, officials said.

“We’re treating them with

compassion and care,” Mr.

Johnson said.

The New York City Council

dealt a blow to fine dining and

duck farmers on Wednesday,

approving a bill that bans the

sale of foie gras.

The legislation, which

passedbyavoteof42-6,

phases out the rich delicacy

over three years to allow res-

taurants, businesses and farm-

ers time to adjust, city offi-

cials said.

A spokeswoman for Mayor

Bill de Blasio said he supports

the bill.

Foie gras, a mainstay at

many upscale eateries, is fat-

tened duck or goose liver that

is produced by force-feeding

the birds to expand their liv-

ers several times the normal

size before slaughter.

Animal-rights activists call

the process inhumane. Duck

farmers, many of whom are in

and around the Hudson Valley,

say the birds are treated well

and live freely, unlike other

BYKATIEHONAN

ANDCHARLESPASSY

Adieu, Foie Gras: Delicacy Is Banned

An industry group

said the move will

eliminate more than

400 jobs.

Coco the shiba inu rode for 45 minutes trapped between a car’s

broken bumper and the grille before the driver realized it.

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