Biological parents of baby given to another couple in IVF mix up left 'heartbroken'
A couple at the centre of an embryo mix-up scandal attempting to navigate an 'absolutely impossible situation' have spoken out about their devastation.
The unidentified pair are the biological parents of a baby girl named Shea, who was born back in December - but another woman, Tiffany Score, carried and birthed the adorable infant.
Due to a horrifying error at The Fertility Center of Orlando, Score had the wrong embryo implanted inside of her and ended up giving birth to a tot who was not actually hers.
Score and her heartbroken partner Steven Mills launched a lawsuit against the IVF clinic after they learned about the colossal mistake that had been made.
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She had gone through several rounds of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) last year in the hopes of starting a family with her other half, before she finally became pregnant.
But they realised something wasn't right after little Shea was born, as according to legal documents, the baby 'displayed the physical appearance of a racially non-Caucasian child', while both Score and Mills were white.
Genetic testing then confirmed that the little girl did not belong to Score and Mills in a biological sense - and even though they had already 'fallen in love' with her, they felt it was their 'moral obligation' to find her real parents.
The couple announced they had tracked down Shea's mother and father in April this year, saying the bittersweet moment allowed them to close 'one chapter in their heartbreaking journey'.
The identities of Shea's biological parents have been kept private in order to 'respect their privacy'.
Score then spoke out to reveal that both couples had come to a 'mutually devised custody agreement', which meant that they could all continue to be a part of Shea's lives.
The Florida woman and her partner Mills will be the little girl's 'permanent' parents.
"We are completely obsessed with her smiles and giggles and look forward to more milestones: reading books, ponytails, taking her to the beach, etc," Score said previously.
"The love we have for her is indescribable and nothing short of the love we would have for our own genetic child."
A 'heartbreaking decision'
Now, an attorney representing Shea's biological parents - who were only referred to as Patient 004 in court documents - has shared an update on how the pair are coping.
Lawyer Rob Marcereau said the couple have been left 'heartbroken' by the embryo mix-up, but 'also understand that the birth couple are also suffering'.
He told NBC News: "They had to make the heartbreaking decision to not fight for custody."
Marcereau said although they would have preferred to be Shea's primary caregivers, the duo realised it 'would have been an incredibly uphill legal battle'.
"And they just didn’t feel that that was going to be what was in the best interest of Shea," he added.
The attorney said both couples shared 'a lot of tears and hugs' on the several occasions that they met.
A lawyer representing Score and Mills, Mara Hatfield, said that genetic testing revealed that the baby was 100 percent South Asian.
She explained that the couple have 'begun and intend to continue to foster a relationship of friendship and trust' with Shea's biological parents.
The Fertility Center of Orlando has closed its doors since news of the scandal broke.
Marcereau said that the biological parents of Shea also intend to launch a lawsuit for the 'inexcusable' error made by the clinic.
"They have been placed in such a difficult situation that no one should be placed in, and the decision they have been forced to make has just been agonising," he said.
IVF Life, which operates as The Fertility Center of Orlando, previously stated that they were 'actively cooperating with an investigation to support one of our patients in determining the source of an error that resulted in the birth of a child who is not genetically related to them.'
Topics: Parenting, World News, US News
Olivia Burke