ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - What started as a celebration for a couple in Central Florida quickly turned into grief, and as they take legal action against a fertility clinic in Orlando, their attorney is speaking out.
The new parents trusted in vitro fertilization doctors to help them have a child, but they are now suing as they search for their biological child, after the mother was implanted with the wrong embryo.
After an over five-year IVF journey resulted in a healthy pregnancy, the parents were thrilled. However, they immediately noticed something was amiss after the baby was delivered.
“Shortly upon the birth of the child, they recognized that this is a child that is not genetically similar to them as far as ethnicity is concerned,” said the couple’s attorney, Mara Hatfield.
The family’s lawyer confirmed that genetic testing revealed the baby girl was of South Asian descent. The testing also confirmed the baby was not genetically related to either parent.
The revelation led the pair to take legal action against the Orlando IVF clinic and the doctor accused of making this mistake.
They’re now asking two big questions: Whose embryo did the IVF clinic implant them with, and have their embryos been implanted in another woman who is now raising their biological child?
“We are still hopeful that this is the case of a swap and that somewhere out there is their very healthy baby, genetic baby, and that one day these kids will be able to meet, and they’ll have nothing but a better story,” said Hatfield.
However, the couple is equally scared that they’ll lose the daughter they gave birth to or never find the embryos that are biologically theirs.
“But right now, it’s just an incredibly fearful time for these people. They are growing more and more in love with their daughter and more and more certain that neither the law nor the clinic is capable of helping them unpack all of this without some considerable and heartbreaking effort on their part,” said Hatfield.
The IVF clinic responsible, known as the Fertility Center of Orlando, released the following statement.
“We are actively cooperating with an investigation to support one of our patients in determining the source of an error that resulted in the birth of a child who is not genetically related to them. Multiple entities are involved in this process, and all parties are working diligently to help identify when and where the error may have occurred. Our priority remains transparency and the well-being of the patient and child involved. We will continue to assist in any way that we can regardless of the outcome of the investigation.”
Under Florida law, the child’s legal parents are typically the genetic mother and father, not the woman who gave birth.
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