An Australian fertility clinic, Monash IVF, has been engulfed in controversy after mistakenly implanting another woman's embryo into a mother, resulting in the unexpected birth of a child. The clinic has admitted to human error and is currently conducting an investigation while offering support to affected patients. This incident follows a significant settlement from the clinic last year for destroying viable embryos.
Shocking Embryo Mix-Up Leads to Birth of Stranger's Baby in Australia
Shocking Embryo Mix-Up Leads to Birth of Stranger's Baby in Australia
A fertility clinic in Queensland faces backlash after a woman unknowingly gives birth to another’s child due to a mix-up of implanted embryos.
A woman in Australia has unknowingly given birth to a stranger's baby, as a result of a fertility clinic’s error that involved mistakenly implanting another woman’s embryos. The incident occurred at Monash IVF located in Brisbane, Queensland, which has publicly acknowledged the blunder and described it as a case of human error.
Michael Knaap, the CEO of Monash IVF, expressed deep regret over the incident, stating, "On behalf of Monash IVF, I want to say how truly sorry I am for what has happened." He confirmed that the entire staff at the fertility clinic felt devastated about the mistake.
The issue came to light earlier in February when the rightful birth parents sought to transfer their remaining frozen embryos to another facility. It was then discovered that one of the intended embryos had been improperly thawed and transferred to the incorrect patient, resulting in a child’s birth.
In response to the incident, the clinic has activated its crisis management team and has reportedly started meeting affected patients to offer apologies and support. They have also informed appropriate regulatory bodies, including the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee, and voluntarily reported the incident to the newly established Queensland assisted reproductive technology regulator.
This isn’t the first controversy Monash IVF has faced; last year, the clinic reached a landmark A$56m (£26.8m) settlement following a lawsuit from 700 patients whose embryos were erroneously destroyed due to faulty genetic testing. The flawed testing inaccurately identified about 35% of embryos as abnormal, despite them being viable and capable of resulting in successful pregnancies.
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) remains a complex and costly procedure, with its success rate varying widely. According to a report from the University of New South Wales, there were 20,690 babies born from IVF in Australia and New Zealand in 2021.
