Photo unrelated to article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo unrelated to article. [Getty Images Bank]

A newlywed couple in their first year of marriage has found themselves on the brink of divorce after a dispute over an undisclosed disability in the husband's family.

The story recently surfaced on Blind, an anonymous online community for office workers, in a post titled "My wife says our marriage was a fraud and is demanding a divorce."

According to the post's author, identified only as A, the conflict began with a remark from his mother. She had long been eager for grandchildren and had been urging the couple to have children soon. She recently told A's wife that her younger sister had given birth through in vitro fertilization at an advanced age and that the child was born with an intellectual disability — adding that the couple should have children before it was too late, given the risks associated with late-term pregnancy.

A said he explained to his wife that his mother had only meant to warn about the health risks of having children later in life. His wife, however, interpreted the situation very differently.

A wrote that his wife accused him of hiding the fact that there was a person with a disability in his family, saying she could not ignore the genetic history. "She said, 'If I give birth to a disabled child, it will all be your family's fault,' and then asked for a divorce," he wrote. He added that she went further, saying, "I think I would resent your family for the rest of my life if our child were born with a disability," and even told him to "go find a surrogate in Southeast Asia."

A said his cousin's condition could have been the result of the IVF procedure or the risks of his aunt giving birth at 43, and that it was no one's fault. "I feel like my wife is taking this too personally," he wrote. He added that he was not sure whether this was truly grounds for divorce.

Readers who came across the post offered a range of reactions. Some said a congenital disability should have been disclosed before marriage, while others argued that disclosing the medical history of a cousin — not an immediate family member — was asking too much. Some said the mother's involvement was excessive, but that the wife also seemed overly sensitive.


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