A Georgia woman sued a fertility clinic after she unexpectedly gave birth to a baby that was the genetic offspring of another couple.
Krystena Murray, 38, went to an IVF clinic owned by Coastal Fertility Specialists to conceive a child, but says she was shocked when she delivered another couple’s baby... Continue reading here ▶
Murray filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Georgia state court alleging that she “unknowingly and unwillingly carried a child through pregnancy who was not biologically related to her.”
Murray said that not only was she implanted with another couple’s embryo, but that she was also traumatized by having to give custody of the child to his biological parents months later after having bonded as mother and son.
Murray is a white woman who selected a white sperm donor, but said she “knew something was wrong” when the baby she delivered was Black. Murray noted in her complaint that she “had no issues or concerns with the Baby’s race other than the fact that it indicated to her that he clearly was not related to her,” an experience she described as “terrifying and shocking.” What should have been a joyful day was instead “dominated by confusion and fear,” she says.
DNA test results later confirmed Murray was not the biological mother of the child.
Over the child’s first few months of life, Murray said she cared for him just as she would have had the baby been biologically related to her. She nursed him, cared for him, and bonded with him.
However, Murray said she did not post photos of the child or introduce him to family members — even going so far as to drape a blanket over the child when she attended a family funeral — because she did not want to answer questions about the baby’s parentage.
Murray said that during the five months she raised the child, she was plagued by anxiety, always wondering if he would be taken away from her, and being haunted by the idea that perhaps another couple had been impregnated with her embryo. Eventually, Murray alerted Coastal Fertility, who in turn, notified the child’s biological parents. Shortly thereafter, the biological parents sued for custody of the child.
“As a result of that lawsuit, Ms. Murray’s Baby was ripped away from her,” the lawsuit says. “Ms. Murray’s connection to the child has been erased: his birth certificate has been changed to the new name the [genetic parents] later chose for the child: and he lives with the [genetic parents], who have full custody, in a different state from Ms. Murray.”
Murray decided to turn the child over to his genetic parents rather than engaging in lengthy litigation. She has not seen the child since handing him over to his biological parents, according to the complaint.
“Despite the clinic’s misconduct, Krystena wanted to keep her baby, and she was heartbroken when she lost custody five months after giving birth,” said a press release by Krystena’s attorneys at Peiffer Wolf.
“This has destroyed me. I’m heartsick; I’m emotionally broken,” said Murray. “Nothing can express the shock and violation upon learning that your doctor put a stranger’s embryo into your body.”
“To carry a baby, fall in love with him, deliver him, and build the uniquely special bond between mother and baby, all to have him taken away,” she continued. “I’ll never fully recover from this.”
Adam Wolf, one of Murray’s attorneys, said in a statement, “Coastal Fertility Specialists made a very serious error, and the consequences are life-altering. This should never happen in a fertility clinic.”
“Unfortunately, the United States does not have meaningful fertility industry oversight,” Wolf continued. “Until IVF clinics are subject to real regulations, reporting requirements and mandatory certification programs for lab staff, these mishaps will continue to occur.”
You can read the full complaint here.