After undergoing IVF through Coastal Fertility Specialists in Georgia, Krystena Murray gave birth to a baby boy in December 2023. But upon seeing the baby, it was clear to Murray that this was not the baby created by her chosen sperm donor.
She purposely chose a donor with features similar to hers, with blonde hair and blue eyes ... but the baby was black.
Despite being blindsided by the obvious mix-up, she took the baby home, continuing to care for him and breastfeed him.
She then ordered a DNA test to confirm the obvious and informed the fertility clinic of the mix-up. The clinic then reached out to the biological parents, letting them know about the devastating mistake.
The baby's biological parents then sued Murray for custody.
When the baby was 5 months old, Murray was forced to give up the child.
Murray said in a statement,
I have never felt so violated and the situation has left me emotionally and physically broken. I spent my entire life wanting to be a mom. I loved, nurtured and grew my child and I would have done literally anything to keep him.
My heart breaks for this woman, as well as for the biological parents who had to be told that their child was being raised by a stranger! But most of all I feel for the baby who has been taken from the only home he's known, for the 9 months in her womb and 5 months in her home.
Murray went on to say,
To carry a baby, fall in love with him, deliver him, and build the uniquely special bond between mother and baby, all to have him taken away. I'll never fully recover from this.
While her pain is obviously justified in this situation, I can't help but note that Murray chose to deprive her child of the right to a father when she decided to have a child by a sperm donor.
Murray filed a lawsuit against the fertility clinic on February 18, but the clinic maintains that this was an isolated incident, saying in a statement that,
The same day this error was discovered we immediately conducted an in-depth review and put additional safeguards in place to further protect patients and to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.
Despite her horrific experience, Murray plans to undergo IVF again with a different fertility clinic.
This story is the perfect example of the ethical problems with the fertility industry, from the commodification of babies to the possibility of giving birth to the "wrong baby" as a result of a lab mixup.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
