ORLANDO, Fla. – A Florida family suing a Central Florida IVF clinic after giving birth to a baby who does not share their genetics said Thursday “there is hope that we will be able to introduce our daughter to her genetic parents and to find our own genetic child soon.”
The couple, identified by the Orlando Sentinel as Steven Mills and Tiffany Score, gave birth to a baby girl in December and filed a lawsuit earlier this month against IVF Life Inc, which operates as Fertility Center of Orlando.
The lawsuit stated, “While both (parents) are racially Caucasian, Baby Doe displayed the physical appearance of a racially non-Caucasian child.”
Genetic testing shows that the baby is not their biological child, according to a family spokesperson.
The spokesperson said an investigation into the “heartbreaking in vitro fertilization error described in our recently filed lawsuit” is ongoing.
The couple on Thursday shared a statement with News 6, saying:
“We love our little girl, and if possible, we would hope to be able to continue to raise her ourselves with confidence that she won’t be taken away from us. At the same time we are aware that we have a moral obligation to find and notify her biological parents as it is in her best interest that her genetic parents are provided the option to raise her as their own.
“Based upon leads discovered to date, and despite the lack of help or cooperation from the clinic, there is hope that we will be able to introduce our daughter to her genetic parents and to find our own genetic child soon. We prefer for the sake of everyone involved to pursue those goals in private. If and when those goals are achieved, or if continued privacy becomes an obstacle to correcting the terrible errors that place us in our current position, we will advise the media and again reach out for continued support.”
[VIDEO BELOW: Baby born on side of Flagler road]
Court records show that the couple reached out to the IVF clinic to figure out how to unite the baby with her real parents, though the clinic never provided a response.
The lawsuit demands emergency relief for the following three points:
- Inform Patients: Compelling the clinic to disclose what happened to other relevant patients to determine whether the baby girl in this case is actually their child (and determine whether another patient received the Does’ embryo)
- Genetic Testing: Requiring the clinic to pay for genetic testing for all relevant patients and their children over the past five years while the clinic had custody of the Does’ embryos
- Parental Discrepancy: Requiring the clinic to disclose any discrepancy in the parentage of the children of all patients whose birth resulted from embryo implantation through the clinic over the past five years