UK couple says wrong sperm was used in surrogacy mix-up

A couple living in the United Kingdom was reportedly "devastated" after learning that their twins were mistakenly conceived using donor sperm. The couple, who had the twins via an overseas surrogate, discovered the error after applying for British citizenship for the children.

Key Takeaways:

• A British couple says a Sri-Lankan surrogacy agency used the wrong sperm when producing their twins via IVF.

• The couple discovered the mistake via a DNA test after they applied for the children's British citizenship.

• A UK judge last week granted the couple's request to adopt the babies they thought were their biological children.

The Details:

Known in court documents as PP and QQ, the couple, who used a Sri Lankan surrogacy agency to conceive their twins, had intended to use the husband's sperm when producing their embryos. After their twins were born via an overseas surrogate, they secured DNA tests in order to apply for British citizenship for the children.

The mother said the result — which showed the children were not biologically related to the husband — “struck us like a thunderbolt.” She also said she and her husband would push forward with adopting the children because they were "meant for us."

The Sri-Lankan agency, Wish Fertility, claims the couple signed a form indicating their approval that donor sperm be used. PP and QQ deny ever signing such a document.

Last week, a court judgement confirmed the adoption request for the couple. In the ruling, Mr. Justice Peel said the couple was “blameless” and “desperate to bring up the children, whom they adore.” He noted the sperm mix-up was “an inadvertent error, perhaps as a result of poor internal processes, or was intentionally done (for whatever reason) is not clear."

Why It Matters:

In the largely unregulated IVF industry, mistakes happen frequently. As more people turn to advanced reproductive technologies like IVF and surrogacy, human error (and sometimes nefarious intent) results in children who are conceived using the wrong sperm, mothers who are implanted with the wrong embryo, and embryos that are accidentally missing or destroyed. This often results in a legal quagmire that can be difficult to untangle.

Impacted the most — but often considered the least — are the children born of these proceedings, who will struggle with the implications of the 'mistakes' made during their conception. Many people conceived via these methods are now starting to speak out and share how their conception has shaped them.

One woman told the pro-children’s rights organization Them Before Us:

“Somehow, somewhere, my parents developed the idea that they deserved to have a baby, and it didn’t matter how much it cost, how many times it took, or how many died in the process. They deserved a child. And with an attitude like that, by the time I was born they thought they deserved to have the perfect child… as Dad defined a perfect child. And since they deserved a child, I was their property to be controlled, not a person or a gift to be treasured.”

The Bottom Line:

Though the desire to have a child is good and understandable, there is never a moral justification for IVF and surrogacy, which commodifies and exploits both women and children.