In a strange real-life situation which could easily pass for a plot from the Bollywood movie ‘Good Newzz’, an Australian woman unwittingly gave birth to a stranger’s baby after an embryo mix-up at a fertility clinic.
This Brisbane Monash IVF case points to the drama that can ensue from medical mistakes in assisted reproduction. While ‘Good Newzz’ acted out its IVF mishaps with humor, the Australian case has raised serious issues and legal questions regarding the ethics and accuracy of fertility procedures.
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The error was revealed in February when the birth parents asked their remaining frozen embryos to be transferred to another provider. But the clinic found an extra embryo was still in storage. Monash IVF said, “Rather than finding the number of embryos expected, an extra embryo was still in storage for the birth parent.”
Monash IVF’s Response
Monash IVF CEO Michael Knaap made his apology, saying the clinic was ‘devastated’ by what happened. He claimed the wrong embryo of another patient was thawed and implanted into the wrong parents, resulting in the birth of the child. The company initiated an investigation and assured the public that the mistake was an ‘isolated’ one.
The company immediately activated its crisis team, issuing apologies and support to the affected patients. The event has been reported to authorities, such as the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee. The names of the couples involved and the details of the child’s birth, including custody and date of birth, have not been disclosed.
This happened at Monash IVF in Brisbane, where the law deems the birth mother and her partner to be the legal parents of the child. It is not clear whether or not legal action will be taken, since the genetic parents never agreed to have their embryos utilized.
This gaffe follows in the wake of another legal scandal for Monash IVF, when the clinic paid 56 million Australian dollars after destroying the embryos of 700 patients when its genetic testing equipment malfunctioned. Around 35% of the destroyed embryos were later found to be normal, which could have led to successful pregnancies.
