Another entry in the Brave New World annals
First there were wrongful birth lawsuits tied to botched abortions. Now there is a wrongful birth lawsuit tied to over-enthusiastic in vitro fertilization:
SYDNEY — A lesbian couple are seeking damages from their doctor after one gave birth to twins after fertility treatment, rather than a single baby.
The women, who cannot be named, are suing Robert Armellin for more than A$400,000 (£167,000) to cover the cost of raising one of the twin girls until the age of 21.
The birth-mother of the girls, who are now aged 3, told the Supreme Court in Canberra that Dr Armellin implanted two embryos, when she had told him minutes before the IVF procedure in November 2003 that she only wanted one.
The woman said that she and her partner briefly considered putting one of the babies up for adoption but dismissed the idea, deciding that it would be unfair to both twins, who are nonidentical.
The couple want A$398,000 to cover the costs of raising one of the girls, including private school fees, about A$15,000 to compensate them for time off work, plus an additional amount for medical expenses.
The whole thing is bonkers to begin with because, in the real world, ladies who confine their relations to other ladies (not that there’s anything wrong with that) wouldn’t be having babies in the first place.