Biological Parents of Child Unidentifiable
Court Recognizes Gross Negligence... Orders 100 Million Won Compensation
Responsible Party Says "Blood Relation Is Meaningless," Only Irresponsible Remarks
A baby born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in China was found to have a genetic mismatch with the parents after 8 years, sparking controversy.
According to a report by local media Fengmian News on the 21st, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, a couple in their 50s, were unable to have children after marriage. In 2011, they underwent IVF at the Reproductive Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University and gave birth to a son the following year. However, in 2020, it was belatedly confirmed that the child had no genetic relation to the couple, leading them to file a lawsuit against the hospital.
The court recently ruled that the hospital was at fault for serious negligence during the IVF process, including using the wrong embryo, and ordered compensation of 640,000 yuan (approximately 120 million KRW).
During the trial, it was revealed that the hospital’s embryo management was overall inadequate, such as assigning duplicate numbers during the freezing process and unclear thawing records. Even more shocking is that the whereabouts of the Chen couple’s embryo remain unknown, and the biological parents of the child have not been identified.
Mr. Chen stated, "The head of the Reproductive Center said they could not find the records of our embryo transfer and could not identify the biological parents of the child," adding, "He irresponsibly said, ‘What’s the point of worrying about genetic relations now? If I had such a child, I would happily raise him.’"
He criticized the hospital, saying, "The biological parents might want to meet their child, and if the child faces a serious illness requiring treatments like bone marrow transplantation, help from genetic or blood relatives might be necessary."
Professor Chong Yali of Peking University Medical School commented, "Since this was the early stage of IVF treatments, hospitals’ embryo management was likely not systematic. Whether they want to or not, the Chen couple are the legal parents of the child and must support him until he reaches adulthood at 18. The hospital’s mismanagement has caused significant ethical issues."
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