In a rare and deeply disturbing incident, a woman in Brisbane, Australia, was born in Brisbane, Australia, a child because of the IVF error in Monash IVF, one of the prominent clinics of fertility in the country, according to media reports.
The mix-up, which occurred during the routine embryo implantation, came to light in February 2025, when the native parents tried to transfer the remaining embryos to another clinic and recorded inconsistencies.
According to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the woman underwent IVF treatment in Monash IVF, but the embryo implanted in her uterus was not her own. As a result, she carried and issued a child genetically unrelated to her partner.
IVF misfortune: What do laws say?
Legal experts claim that the case is a complex and unprecedented legal dilemma. According to current Australian law, a woman who gives birth to a child is considered a legal mother regardless of genetics. This means that the birth parents – despite the biological connection – can be legally recognized and potentially leaving genetic parents without parental rights.
“There are assumptions in Australia that native parents are the child’s legal parents,” said a lawyer for creating a family Sarah Jefford and spoke to ABC News. “But if genetic parents want to log in and start a discussion about it, then we will have to wait and see.”
“Terrible”, says former director IVF Clinic
Professor Gab Kovacs, pioneer IVF and former director of Monash IVF, called the situation “terrible” and “sad for all involved”. When he spoke to ABC Radio Melbourne, he acknowledged the immense emotional toll that took it to both couples, so scientists responsible for the mix.
“I don’t think there is much more that can be done; we just have to accept that human beings make mistakes,” he said, adding that he wasn’t sure how Australian law eventually ruled in such an unprecedented situation.
From now on, both families are reportedly looking for legal council, while the case can determine a significant precedent in Australian reproductive law.
(Tagstotranslate) IVF
