A couple in the USA is suing their fertility clinic for wrongly transfering a male embryo during IVF treatment.
Heather Wilhem-Routenberg and her wife Robin 'Robbie' Routenberg-Wilhelm only wanted to have children if the children were girls, after Heather experienced long-term trauma from being sexually assaulted by men after leaving university.
The couple, who went to CNY fertility clinic in Latham, New York, specifically requested that only female embryos – created using an egg from Robbie and donor sperm – be transferred into Heather's womb.
However, at a 15-week appointment, they were told that the child Heather was carrying was in fact a male: something that was confirmed by a scan the following day.
'Our jaws dropped to the floor. I was convinced it had to be someone else's result', Heather said in an interview with the New York Post.
Having confirmed the baby was a boy, an internal investigation by the clinic was launched to determine the parents of the embryo. After seven weeks, the couple received confirmation that the embryo was indeed related to Robbie, and not the result of switched or misidentified embryos.
Although the couple declined the option of an abortion, Heather fell into depression.
'I was so furious. It felt like a deep betrayal', she said.
Heather gave birth in December 2020 but struggled to connect with the baby and experienced anxiety and flashbacks to her assaults. Now, the relationship with her son is improved, and she blames the clinic for damaging his formative years.
'I feel immense guilt and shame because I wasn't able to be emotionally present for him' said Heather.
Heather and Robbie are suing CNY on 11 counts including breach of contract, medical malpractice and battery.
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