LOS ANGELES: The ex-fiance of actress Sofia Vergara, one of the stars of the ABC comedy “Modern Family,” has defended his lawsuit seeking to take two frozen embryos the couple created before separating.

In a New York Times column published Wednesday, businessman Nick Loeb said that after the pair split in 2014, he sought to take the embryos to have them carried to term — assuming all financial and custodial responsibility — but she refused.

“When we create embryos for the purpose of life, should we not define them as life, rather than as property?” he wrote.

Representatives for the Colombian-born Vergara, who last September earned the distinction of being the highest paid US television actress for three consecutive years, could not be immediately reached for comment.