While parents choose to love children who aren’t their own all the time via adoption, parental love becomes a lot more complicated if you’re given someone else’s baby by accident. And as far-fetched a situation as that sounds, one white couple in Florida underwent a very tragic discovery when the wife gave birth to a “very dark-skinned” baby. The staff at Fertility Center of Orlando had reportedly implanted her with the wrong embryo, causing her to deliver a complete stranger’s child.
According to the Miami New Times, the baby was confirmed through testing not be genetically connected to either the mom or the dad. Needless to say, the birth was heartbreaking for the couple, with all the effort, time, money, and mental stress they went through just to start a family. Fortunately for the newborn, the parents still love their child, but “they are also living with the unbearable knowledge that there may be one or more of their own children unknowingly in the care of strangers,” the couple’s law firm agent states.
Unfortunately for the parents, however, the Fertility Center of Orlando has been “totally uncooperative” in helping the couple figure out how to fix the issue of receiving the wrong embryo. The clinic actually has a suspicious history, according to the Florida Department of Health, as several staff members were missing proper registration and were reported to be using “inappropriate sterilization techniques.” On top of that, the clinic was also missing essential equipment and medication that it should have had for medical care. Despite all that, the clinic got away with a small fine and a slap on the wrist.
All that shady business aside, the parents are suing the clinic and are determined to see justice served for the grave error regarding the mix-up. But considering there’s little to no federal regulation on preventing or managing such mix-ups with embryos, the couple surely has some hoops to get through if they hope to succeed with their lawsuit. There’s no doubt that this all must be extremely stressful to deal with.
“Oh my god, these poor parents!” exclaims a Reddit commenter. “I’m sure there are so many confusing, conflicting feelings for them.” Others chimed in, sharing their stories of how it cost them tens of thousands of dollars for services at a fertility clinic. “It’s so sad how expensive it is & how inaccessible it’s become for most people,” comments a user. Hopefully, as this Florida couple’s story gains more traction, the Fertility Center of Orlando will give in and properly compensate for its alleged mistake, if not hand over the parents’ actual embryo.
