As reported by Ananova:A boy had the wrong father for 13 years after a fertility clinic which treated his mother used another man’s sperm by mistake, it has been revealed. The youngster, who cannot be named, has fought a six-year legal battle to confirm the man he knew as dad was not his natural father, The Sun reports. The boy, who won the right to a DNA test, told the newspaper he always knew the man was not his real father.
He told The Sun: “I am relieved to know the truth at last, but I have no wish to know who my real father is.”
In 1988 the mother and her then husband went for IVF treatment and paid 5,000 to a fertility clinic at the private Wellington Hospital, St John’s Wood, north west London. Lawyer Patricia Hollings said the case could have been resolved at an early stage and avoided the cost, aggravation and stress of the court proceedings. She said the confirmation would raise psychological and emotional issues for the child.
On his early sense that he had the wrong father, Ms Hollings said: “The relationship broke down when the child was very young. It was only over the years the child began to appreciate there were distinctions between himself and his father, both on a physical and a characteristic level.”
Angela McNab, chief executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said she understood the case happened a long time ago, before the authority was established. The authority regulates all clinics – for example, by carrying out routine annual inspections, plus unannounced inspections, in an effort to keep mistakes at a minimum. It also ensures that all clinics have protocols in place so the risk of any mistake is kept to a minimum.
Another news release entitled “Now We’re A Family!” from ManNotIncluded, the new European sperm service for lesbian couples, follows:
MNI is delighted to announce the birth of its first baby today. It is perhaps symbolic – for a service that refuses to discriminate against any women on grounds of sexuality or marital status – that the healthy 10 pounds 2 ounces baby boy was in fact successfully delivered to a married heterosexual couple from the south east of England. Mother and son are both healthy and doing well. The first such internet sperm baby born to a lesbian couple is due in a matter of weeks.
MNI launched a year ago in July 2002 and now has over 5,500 anonymous male donors and over 3,000 female recipients registered. It is about to commence operations in Spain, Germany and Holland, with further births due throughout the summer.
ManNotIncluded.com founder John Gonzalez said:”We are delighted at the fantastic news that the first baby has been born as a direct result of using our ground-breaking service. MNI is about giving all women the chance to have children without fear of prejudice or discrimination. Here’s to the birth of countless more MNI babies over the coming weeks and months.”
Men, you can join MNI as an anonymous donor for lesbian and single women here. FYI, that last line was not in the MNI press release.
In related news on British sex, a recently released study documents widespread sexual dysfunction among subjects of the Crown.
