Couple sues doctor over disabled son's birth

[rizz]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/...led-sons-birth

do u think the couple is right is suing the ivf doctor?

[Koharuchan]

..."Wrongful birth?" REALLY? This is utter bullshit.

[Jesus Christ.]

The couple are idiots.

[Digilodger]

Originally Posted by Boobies

The couple are idiots.

No, they aren't idiots. They're seeking $10 million in compensation. If their lawyer is good and manage to snatch a win, then they're millionaires. I don't even know whether I would make that much money in my entire life. It seems that they're clever and cunning, not idiotic. I guess sometimes the "smart" move isn't the most righteous move.

[kadyCHAOS]

10 million? that's insane. bitches be crazy.

[TheBabyEater]

I think this is disgusting. I can understand being upset that your child may never walk or talk because of a stroke, but suing the doctor? I don't think so. The article clearly states that an IVF specialist is not required to randomly search parents for rare blood disorders.

[Stargazed.]

They should've found out whether or not the disease would be passed on BEFORE they decided to conceive a baby. It is THEIR responsibility... not the IVF doctor's.

[Jocelyn.]

So the couple and the doctor both knew he has this disorder, but the doctor failed to tell him it had a 50% chance to be passed on? And they are blaming it on the doctor? Is that what the article is saying?

If I knew I had some rare genetic disorder that could potential disable me for life I think I'd automatically be reconsidering having a child, and definitely asking questions before I spent thousands of dollars trying to conceive one.

Unless I'm reading it wrong, and they didn't realize he had this disorder until after the baby was conceived then I still don't see how the blame would be on the doctor. Any testing I had while I was pregnant was completely voluntary (minus gestational diabetes). This is another one of those articles that has waaay too little information in my opinion.

[TheBabyEater]

Originally Posted by Jocelyn.

So the couple and the doctor both knew he has this disorder, but the doctor failed to tell him it had a 50% chance to be passed on? And they are blaming it on the doctor? Is that what the article is saying?

If I knew I had some rare genetic disorder that could potential disable me for life I think I'd automatically be reconsidering having a child, and definitely asking questions before I spent thousands of dollars trying to conceive one.

Unless I'm reading it wrong, and they didn't realize he had this disorder until after the baby was conceived then I still don't see how the blame would be on the doctor. Any testing I had while I was pregnant was completely voluntary (minus gestational diabetes). This is another one of those articles that has waaay too little information in my opinion.

I'm under the understanding that the doctor did not know that the gene could be passed on, or that the doctor knew the father carried it at all. But I agree, not enough information in the article to make it clear on what happened.

[Ambedo.]

What the heck?! The couple knew that the father carried the gene. It was THEIR responsibility to find out the chances that their child could inherit the gene. It was THEIR responsibility to consider the risks and decide whether or not to have a child. If it's not the IFV specialist's job to make them aware of this, then he is in the clear. They're just ridiculous.

[rizz]

plus if they had conceived naturally...what then...sue the doctor who looked after the pregnancy?...there is chances of anything happening in any pregnancy

[Jesus Christ.]

Originally Posted by Digilodger

No, they aren't idiots. They're seeking $10 million in compensation. If their lawyer is good and manage to snatch a win, then they're millionaires. I don't even know whether I would make that much money in my entire life. It seems that they're clever and cunning, not idiotic. I guess sometimes the "smart" move isn't the most righteous move.

Sorry, I'll fix it.

The couple are arseholes.

[Kate*]

If they won, which I believe is unlikely, the money would go to fund the child's care for the rest of his life. It's not the IVF doctor's job to screen for genetic disorders it's the parent's responsibility. It should be done before you have children no matter how you go about it. You can't decide that you want a child bad enough to go through all that and then sue the doctor because the child isn't perfect.

[Digilodger]

Originally Posted by Jocelyn.

Unless I'm reading it wrong, and they didn't realize he had this disorder until after the baby was conceived [...] This is another one of those articles that has waaay too little information in my opinion.

Originally Posted by TheBabyEater

I'm under the understanding that the doctor did not know that the gene could be passed on, or that the doctor knew the father carried it at all. But I agree, not enough information in the article to make it clear on what happened.

I just want to throw this in for future questions like these: The IVF doctor did know about the gene. He then referred the couple to a genetic counselor. According to the news, the couple never meet the genetic counselor and the IVF doctor never mention that again (probably assumed that the couple have already spoken to the genetic counselor).

News via Australian Yahoo! News and Australian Herald Sun.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I think the couple were incredibly lazy because the doctor provided a general switchboard number, which the couple used. However, once the call went unanswered, according to the articles provided by Digilodger, it seems as though the couple abandoned that route instead of trying other means to contact the genetic counsellor or seeking other genetic counsellors. The couple were well aware of the blood condition and if it is not the IVF doctor's duty to take the role of a genetic counsellor, the couple could have at the very least looked online and found rough estimates of approx. 50%.

If they didn't seek the genetic counsellor because they couldn't negotiate their way around a switchboard or find other genetic counsellors, I fail to see how that is the fault of the IVF doctor. They're smart and cunning because they could become millionaires but they're also lazy.