I note with interest the recent article in the Australian, confirming a wrongful birth claim for the parents of triplets in Queensland, alleging a breach of contract by their IVF provider, by which they had agreed that no more than 2 embryos would be implanted, yet instead 3 embryos were used.
If the emotional rhetoric is put to one side, there is really nothing controversial about this claim. We would handle such 'wrongful birth' cases, most commonly arising from (negligently caused) failed sterilisation or failure to identify fetal developmental abnormalities during pregnancy, on at least an annual basis.
A key point ignored by the article and debate is that had there been no negligence in the couple's care, yet they still had triplets, no claim could be brought. The High Court rejected arguments about sanctity of life in such cases, a decade or more ago.
Pursuit of claim does not mean the parents are monsters or do not love their 3rd child: it just means they have received negligent care and as a consequence, will incur significant extra costs, related to the 3rd child's raising, which the negligent service should contribute towards. I for one believe this is perfectly appropriate and fair.
Posted with Blogsy