Couple in Australia sues for twins from IVF, rather than just one baby
July 28, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Women's Health
If I shake my head any harder, I might make myself ill. Instead of going into the story, I’ll let you read about it: Twins’ Two Moms Lose Lawsuit Over Baby #2
Let me know what you think. Were the moms right to sue for the cost of the second child? Or is that the luck of the draw when you go for IVF?
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Normally, I’d say you have to take what you can get with IVF, but these women should have made sure that the staff of the fertility clinic knew they only wanted to implant one embryo.
If we are supposed to be proactive about our bodies, shouldn’t you also be responsible for making sure all parties involved know about your wishes? I’d be sure that the actual people doing the procedure knew exactly what I wanted, not just the doctor.
If they asked for only 1 embryo then there is some liability there.
The big thing is that they discussed it with the OB but did not discuss it with the clinic where the IVF actually occurred.
Quote from the article:
“The couple, whose names are suppressed to protect the anonymity of their two 4-year-old daughters, attempted to sue Canberra-based obstetrician Sydney Armellin for 400,000 Australian dollars (US$382,000) for medical negligence for failing to ensure that fertility clinic staff implanted a single embryo.”
The couple had changed their mind about the number they wanted implanted. I don’t know anything other than I would have been asking everyone that I came into contact with about this that they did, in fact, know that I had made a change in the plan and that it was documented. I would consider it my personal responsibility for my health.
Yes, you’re right TJ – it seems as if they weren’t clear about their wishes. I just hope that they do protect their daughters from this as they are bound to find out. I think that no matter how hard they try to show that the kids are loved, it’s bound to have some effect on them.