A woman has given birth to a child genetically unrelated to her and her partner, following a critical error at a Monash IVF clinic in Brisbane.
The clinic blames the incident on "human error", marking what is believed to be the first case of its kind in Australia.
The mistake came to light in February when the birth parents requested the transfer of their remaining embryos to another provider.
An unexpected additional embryo in storage led to the discovery that a different patient's embryo had been mistakenly implanted.
Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap issued a public apology: "All of us at Monash IVF are devastated, and we apologise to everyone involved. We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time."
An independent investigation has now been launched to determine how the error occurred.
Monash IVF said it also reported the incident to relevant health authorities and is implementing additional audits and safeguards to prevent future occurrences.
Legal experts say the unprecedented case could set a significant precedent in Australian fertility law.
Surrogacy lawyer Sarah Jefford told ABC Australia "there are presumptions in Australia about the birth parents being the legal parents of the child".
"But whether the genetic parents want to come forward and start a discussion about that, then we'll have to wait and see."
Speaking on the Today show, Adnan Khodorkovsky, director of City Fertility Scientific, emphasised the emotional toll on the families involved.
"The really challenging decision for people moving forward here is what are in the best interests of this child? And for one of the families, this is going to be utterly heartbreaking," he said. "There's just no way to avoid that."
This incident follows a previous controversy involving Monash IVF, where the clinic settled a AU$56 million (NZ$60.5 million) class action lawsuit over inaccurate genetic testing that affected over 700 patients.
As investigations continue, the affected families are reportedly considering legal action and the case is expected to have lasting implications for fertility practices and regulations in Australia.
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