An IVF mix-up has seen a Queensland woman give birth to someone else’s child, in what’s believed to be an Australian first.
Monash IVF has apologised for mistakenly implanting a different patient’s embryo into the woman who was receiving treatment in Brisbane.
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The company became aware of the incident in February, after the parents requested to move their remaining frozen embryos to another provider.
The fertility company says it’s confident the IVF mix-up is an isolated incident due to human error, with both families now considering legal action.
Legal experts say it’s unclear how the courts would decide who the child belongs to, as an incident like this hasn’t occurred before.
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Assisted reproduction technologies like egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy have made it easier than ever to have a baby. However, they have also created an ethical and identity minefield.
A brand new podcast coming out on Monday, called Secrets We Keep: By Any Means examines the multibillion-dollar fertility industry that fills wombs.
Journalist Amelia Oberhardt speaks with parents, adult children and clinicians about the ‘wild west’ of the modern fertility landscape about consent, identity and human rights.
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