Woman in Japan Impregnated With Wrong Baby in In-Vitro Fertilization Mix-Up
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 19, 2009
Tokyo, Japan (LifeNews.com) — In another setback for in-vitro fertilization, a Japanese woman appears to have been impregnated with the wrong human embryo in a fertility clinic mixup. The procedure occurred last year but news of the problem is only coming to light now as hospital officials are admitting their mistake.
The woman in question had an abortion and destroyed the life of the child who she didn’t want because the baby wasn’t really hers.
Surrogate births and adoptions are rare in Japan, as the local culture frowns upon raising children that are not related.
She is now suing the local government for almost $250,000.
"She is not satisfied with the explanations of the hospital," her lawyer told the Japan Times.
Officials with the government-run hospital in Kagawa, which is southwest of Tokyo, are apologizing for their mistake.
"She was very happy after undergoing such a difficult procedure and becoming pregnant, but unfortunately a mistake had been made," Yuzo Matsumoto, director of the Kagawa Prefectural Central Hospital, told the Associated Press.
"It is unimaginable how she suffered when she faced the abortion after experiencing the peak of joy over her pregnancy. We feel very sorry for her," he said.
Hospital spokesman Hajime Morishita said this was the first time a mistake had been made in a fertility procedure like the one the woman had.
"The in vitro procedures are carried out in sequence one after the other, and in this case the eggs from one procedure may have accidentally been left over and used in the following procedure," he said.
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