Drew Wasilewski and Kristina Koedderich are currently suing their fertility clinic after a big mix up.
Their daughter was revealed to not be related to one of them.
According to the lawsuit, the clinic claims the child is either theirs or is the result of an extramarital affair.
This whole story is one big mess.
White couple gives birth to Asian daughter after alleged fertility clinic mix-upwww.youtube.com
The couple sought the assistance of the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science in New Jersey after failing to conceive on their own. In late 2012, they received IVF treatments to impregnate Koedderich with Wasilewski's sperm and 9 months later, they had a beautiful baby girl.
However, only a few years later, in 2015, they started to notice their daughter looked different from the couple. She started to develop "Asian features" despite her parents both being white.
The had DNA tests run that revealed their daughter is related to Koedderich, but not to Wasilewski.
This is a tricky situation.
When the couple initially confronted the clinic, they were told there was no mistake on their part.
Wasilewski told The New York Post:
"The hospital said this couldn't possibly happen and there was no fault on their part. I started wondering, 'Has my wife been cheating on me?' What on earth is going on here?'"
This line of thinking and revelation about their daughter eventually led to the couple divorcing in 2017.
They filed the lawsuit to seek restitution and find their daughter's biological father.
It sounds like a bad TV show plot.
As part of the suit, they requested information on the donors and workers at the clinic at the time of their treatment. The clinic initially declined, citing patient privacy, but a judge has recently ordered the list be turned over.
They are also seeking $500,000 they paid for the treatments back in damages.
The child is still being raised by the couple, though there is an important part of raising her that led to the couple trying to find her biological father. The DNA testing the couple performed found she had a rare blood disease.
They are hoping if they can find the father, they can learn more about his medical history, and know what to expect when raising their daughter.
The clinic has voiced their concern over being court ordered to turn over their list of patients, saying:
"The court order has broad implications potentially affecting many more people than the immediate parties involved."
Which is a very real possibility, one that could lead to a closer look at the reproductive industry as a whole. Assisted reproductive technology is not very well regulated in the United States, especially when compared to other nations.
So while it'd be nice to protect the privacy of these patients, the lack of oversight makes mistakes like these more common.
Just earlier this year, we had the exact opposite story to this one take place. An unnamed Asian couple filed a suit against the CHA Fertility Center in Los Angeles.
After receiving IVF treatments, the couple was shocked when they gave birth to two boys who didn't resemble them. Genetic testing found that not only were the boys not related to the couple, but they weren't related to each other.
The couple were forced to give up the boys to the clients who provided the genetic material. The clinic is being sued for malpractice, negligence, and breach of contract.
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