This case had been widely reported in the news the last 2 days and I have been following it with avid interest - A couple in Singapore went for IVF treatment and the wife was successfully impregnated, only to find that there was a screw up and the sperm used wasn't that of her Caucasian husband's.
Interestingly, from what I gathered from the reports, what first triggered this was that the newborn's complexion was 'markedly different from the parents'... I am not quite sure I understand what this means... was the baby dark skinned?? The other telltale sign was that the baby's blood type was B, whilst the parents are O and A, so technically it is impossible for parents with O and A blood types to produce a B type baby. Earlier on, the news also reported that this baby may be fostered out (although subsequent reports confirmed that the parents will be keeping the baby because the mother had already bonded with the newborn).
As someone undergoing fertility treatment, or ART (Assisted Reproduction Technology) as my clinic calls it, and who may very well be undergoing IVF at some stage, I tried putting myself into that situation. Strangely, my attitude was rather blase. The inital shock and disbelief of the parents is understandable, but what happens after reality sinks in and the dust in settled?
I am sure this couple had fertility issues and that was why they had to resort to IVF. Even with IVF, it does not mean that pregnancy will result. Knowing how difficult the road to conception and a subsequent successful pregnancy is, I think I'd cling on to this baby and pray that I won't be forced to give it up if I were in their shoes. At the end of the day, the mother carried and nourished the baby in her womb for 10 months, and I am sure her husband did share with her every moment of joy during those 10 months when they saw the baby on ultrasound, when they first found out its gender, when the baby started moving/ kicking, when preparing the nursery, when buying the clothings/stroller, birthing the baby...
I am sure it is harder on the husband than it is on the wife because at least half the baby's DNA was the wife's. For the husband, he'd have to accept that the baby he will be bringing up does not share any of his DNA. Honestly does this really matter? Sure, the baby's genetic father is someone else, but it is not as if the wife had an affair with another person which resulted in a 'lovechild'. Anyway, it's easy for me to say cos I am not in their shoes and I am dying to have a baby. So my perspective is somewhat skewed.
Purely out of curiosity, I asked Mark what he thought about this whole subject IF this happened to us. His simple answer was (in typical Singaporean fashion) 'Aiyoh, what to do?? It is still ours what...'
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