That is heartbreaking. I am so sorry for your aunt and uncle.

The laws vary from state to state. There was the famous case a few years back where a surrogate in Delaware fled to Michigan so that she would be the legal mother of the baby after birth. Delaware law determines parenthood by DNA, but in Michigan it’s based on birth. The situation was made even more complicated when…

Before going through IVF, you sign paperwork about as thick as a bible. Perhaps there’s something in there?

Seriously. Like, a full on hammerhead shark wearing a suit.

Every clinic in the country that isn’t this one is probably fielding tons of panicked calls, so I can see sending out a “we are NOT them and here is why” reassurance letter.

I have a daughter conceived through IVF and have had several failed embryo transfers, and I just don’t understand how this is possible. The number of places where I’ve had to read off tags, matched numbers, checked my name, my social security number, showed ID even though I know every nurse in the building,etc.

I’m about 5 years out of undergrad and happy in my chosen career (teacher) but I can’t help but think that I should have gone to law school and then specialized in IVF, fertility treatments, and surrogacy laws. I feel like the whole field is the wild west and it would have been very lucrative to practice law for…

I’m really curious to see a legal analysis of this. I’ve practiced family law (but not in NY, where this couple is from) and I would have thought that custody would go to the parent who carried and birthed the babies, but the articles I’ve read have all said that they were required to give the babies to the biological…

Pack this up in a bag with private prisons and for-profit colleges. As with most horrifying things in this country, the combination of massive profit incentive and a light-to-nonexistent regulatory framework creates an ideal environment for shit like this.

I hope they get themselves the most brutal, blood thirsty plaintiffs’ attorney in the state and go scorched Earth on these motherfucker. If this were negligence alone, this would already be jackpot of sorts—but if they can prove there was a cover-up... ohhhh buddy, those punitive damages could be staggering.

I’m seriously stunned by this case. Shocked, but not surprised because we’ve heard about so many other high profile IVF fuck ups. I am also just so stunned/confused about the fallout from this. Was the couple that carried the pregnancy legally obligated to give up the children to their biological parents? Did they do…

I do not think this will make it out of the grays, but my aunt/uncle adopted a baby boy (she is unable to become pregnant due to cancer as a teen) and they had him for 3 months when the boys grandmother came from out of nowhere, sued for custody of the baby and won. The baby was originally awarded to the state and put…

If I’m remembering my torts and med mal classes correctly (and it’s entirely possible I’m not because law school was a while ago and this isn’t the area I practice in today), I’m wondering what the cause of action will be for the biological parents who got surprise babies.

This should go without saying but there’s no need to send or mention this to someone you know who’s doing IVF or any fertility treatments. If they want to make jokes or have concerns around it, fine. But it will likely not be well-received by many people.

This is a story right out of a horror film. I can’t imagine what compensation could possibly be adequate for the pain and suffering the clinic’s gross negligence caused this couple. The clinic and the doctors therein need to pay dearly.

I only have experience with one clinic and I know this happened after fertilization but No one at our clinic would even touch my husband’s brown bag of sperm until the embryologist came in and check his ID and SS# and color coded the sample with stickers, she then came in the operating room and confirmed my info…

Sweet gentle Obama jesus that is horrible. I am 37 weeks pregnant and if someone told me I went through all this and I didn't even get to keep it after through no fault of my own... i hope these poor people sue for millions.

I will be interested to hear whether the clinic indeed knew about the mix-up and didn’t say anything. Partly because that’s a *horrible* thing to do - the inseminated woman should have had the option to terminate - but also because of the race issue. I mean, if both parents are Asian and the babies are not...they’re…

Can. You. Even. Imagine.

Yikes. I screw up at work all the time. Most people do. That’s why you have some kind of safety precautions and routines. Because humans are sloppy, can be tired or easily distracted, mix up number, hit the wrong button, etc