An Australian woman has given birth to a stranger’s baby after a fertility doctor accidentally implanted the wrong embryo, the clinic owner said in its apology letter, blaming the mix-up on “human error.”
Monash IVF, which is responsible for nearly one-quarter of Australian IVF treatments, said it learned in February that a woman at its Brisbane clinic had the wrong embryo transferred, “resulting in the birth of a child.”
The mistake was identified when the new parents asked for their remaining embryos to be sent to another clinic. At that time, the company said it discovered an additional embryo in storage.
Photo: AP
It did not disclose the parents’ identity nor comment on their reaction except to say the situation was distressing.
The clinic also did not specify when the woman gave birth and only disclosed that she was informed of the mistake as soon as it was discovered.
“All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologise to everyone involved,” CEO Michael Knaap said in a statement, adding the incident had prompted extra audits, which showed the incident was isolated.
The mix-up has drawn attention to an industry that was largely self-regulated until recently and raised concerns about security protocols at IVF clinics.
The facilities are regulated by a mix of Australian industry bodies and state government agencies.
Queensland Health, the government body Monash reported the incident to, said it only became the regulator in September after the erroneous transfer took place.
Monash IVF said it hired a lawyer to run an independent investigation and reported the incident to the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee, part of industry group the Fertility Society of Australia, as well as the state body.
“Incidents of this nature are rare,” the Fertility Society said in a statement, adding that “patients place considerable trust in fertility services, and the safe handling and identification of embryos is a fundamental responsibility.”
The news hammered the company’s shares as investors already spooked by market turmoil weighed the reputational impact of what Australian media said was the country’s first scandal of its kind involving an IVF operator.
Monash IVF stock plunged 36 percent yesterday, its heaviest decline since listing more than a decade ago.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
Polish presidential candidates offered different visions of Poland and its relations with Ukraine in a televised debate ahead of next week’s run-off, which remains on a knife-edge. During a head-to-head debate lasting two hours, centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing pro-European coalition, faced the Eurosceptic historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS). The two candidates, who qualified for the second round after coming in the top two places in the first vote on Sunday last week, clashed over Poland’s relations with Ukraine, EU policy and the track records of their
RSS