Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mistake

A woman in Brisbane, Australia, gave birth to another couple's child due to an IVF mix-up at Monash IVF, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The error, discovered in February 2025, occurred when the wrong embryo was implanted during treatment at the clinic. The birth parents noticed discrepancies when attempting to transfer remaining embryos to another clinic. 

According to ABC News, legal experts suggest that under current Australian law, the birth mother and her partner are recognised as the legal parents, potentially leaving the biological parents without custody rights. The case has prompted calls for enhanced oversight of the IVF industry and highlighted the need for improved safeguards in assisted reproductive technologies.

"There are presumptions in Australia about the birth parents being the legal parents of the child," family creation lawyer Sarah Jefford told ABC News.

"But whether the genetic parents want to come forward and start a discussion about that, then we'll have to wait and see."

'Human beings make mistakes.'

Professor Gab Kovacs, an IVF pioneer and former director of Monash IVF, said it was a "terrible, sad situation all round" that was unlikely to have been tested before in Australia. 

"While this is life-altering for the couples involved, the next person who will be most shattered is the scientist responsible for this mistake," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

"I've got no idea what the legal situation in Australia would decide; I don't think it's been tested before."

"I don't think there's much more that can be done; we just have to accept that human beings make mistakes."