Alysa Liu was born via surrogacy to a single father, and his motives are questionable
What are the ethical implications?
Susan Quinn | February 23, 2026
Alysa Liu has been in the Olympic headlines, not just for her masterful performance as a figure skater and a gold medal winner, but because of the nature of her birth. Her father decided to have her born by way of an anonymous egg donor and a surrogate mother. It was probably much more convenient than getting married again (he has an ex-wife). Alysa Liu has four more sisters, born in the same way.
So, what is the backstory of Liu’s father, Arthur Liu?
Arthur, an immigrant from China who later worked in real estate and law-related fields, made the decision to become a parent on his own through surrogacy. According to NBC Olympics, Alysa was born in California in 2005 with the help of a surrogate mother.
As she was growing up, Arthur Liu decided to take control of every aspect of her life. She began her career at the age of five. He hired several coaches to train her, and fired several that he didn’t approve of. He interfered with the coaches’ instruction, even when they asked him not to. Alysa’s father has tried to defend his actions by making several points: in a CBS interview, he wanted them to know that he had spent $500,000 to $1,000,000 on Alysa’s career. His ex-wife was Alysa’s guardian, even after the divorce. Arthur’s mother helped him raise Alysa by coming over from China for a couple of years.
But after the 2022 Olympics, she’d had enough of her father’s dominance and of the sport. As Alyssa said to CBS News, “It was basically his business. It wasn’t really mine.”
His obsession about having a figure skating daughter was clear:
‘I spared no money, no time,’ Arthur said of getting Alysa into ice skating in the 2026 60 Minutes special. ‘I just saw the talent.’
In addition to supporting Alysa with her skating lessons and taking her to competitions, Arthur participated in his daughter’s training aspects by watching her practices and tracking the speed of her jumps with a radar gun.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/02/alysa_liu_was_born_via_surrogacy_to_a_single_father_and_his_motives_are_questionable.html
