A 38-year-old Georgia in the United State is suing a fertility clinic after she gave birth to a child that was not hers and subsequently had to give the child to his biological parents after five months of raising him.
Krystena Murray, a white woman, realised something went wrong at the Coastal Fertility Specialists clinic when she delivered a black baby in December 2023.
During the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process, Murray chose a sperm donor of her race and also specified that she wanted a donor similar to her with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.
After Murray gave birth to the child, she performed an at-home DNA test, and it confirmed that she was not related to the child. She notified the fertility clinic, and they notified the child’s biological family.
The parents sued Murray for custody, however, she voluntarily gave up the child after she was told she would lose the custody battle.
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Speaking during a briefing, Murray’s lawyer, Adam Wolf confirmed that they have filed a lawsuit against the clinic.
Wolf added that the incident has been traumatic for Murray, and she hasn’t seen the baby since she gave him to his parents.
“Krystena is heartbroken, Coastal Fertility made a serious mistake, and the consequences are life-altering for Krystena,” he said.
Murray said she spent two years as a single woman trying to fall pregnant through IVF and when she finally did, she was elated that her dreams were coming true
“My birth story is nothing like anyone could anticipate. It was riddled with shock, confusion, and fear. The birth of my child was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, it was, but it was also the scariest day of my life.”
She said all her love and joy was replaced by fear when she saw the child because she was worried that the child would be taken away from her.
“That’s not something a mother should endure, and my child was eventually taken away from me.
“The actions of the fertility clinic have come close to destroying me and have left irreparable damage to my soul and ultimately left me questioning whether I should be a mom or not,” she said.
According to CBS News, Murray is seeking $75,000 (over R1.3 million) in other damages.
The publication added that the fertility clinic acknowledged the mistake and apologised for the distress that was caused.
“This was an isolated event with no further patients affected. The same day this error was discovered we immediately conducted an in-depth review and put additional safeguards in place to further protect patients and to ensure that such an incident does not happen again,” the fertility clinic was quoted as saying.
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