Lesbian Couple Sue IVF Doctor After Having Twins

Most people would be thrilled at receiving the news that they are carrying twins but not everyone. A lesbian couple in Australia are suing their doctor after conceiving twins through IVF treatment when they only wanted one child.

The women are now seeking an estimated £170,000 in damages and want the money to help pay for the cost of raising a second child, including private school fees. Their non-identical twins are now three years old but the couple insist they told Robert Armellin, their obstetrician, they wanted just one child.

Kim Burke, Mr Armellin’s lawyer has claimed that the lesbian mother only said she wanted a single embryo implanted minutes before the procedure, when she was already in the operating theatre.

Ms Burke continued to tell Canberra Supreme Court that the woman had previously signed a form which indicated that up to two embryos could be transferred but admitted that staff should have acted upon the last-minute request.

The couple say that “This has never been a case about whether our children are loved. They are cherished.”

They told the court of how their relationship suffered from the stress of twin parenthood and that the birth mother had changed after giving birth.

Ms Burke has said that Mr Armellin was a consultant specialist at the Canberra Fertility Clinic where the procedure was carried out, not the director, and therefore was not responsible for the system in place.

The civil case is the first of its kind in Australia and has led to a new moral debate about the value of children and role of parents ahead of the upcoming national elections.

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