The father of a 12-year-old boy conceived through fertility treatments claims that another man's sperm was used in the procedure. According to the father, a recent genetic test showed that he and his son are not genetically related.
The hospital said the sperm used in the treatments, which took place about 13 years ago, passed through three hospitals. The process began overseas, continued at another hospital in Israel and was then transferred to the hospital where the fertilization procedure was performed.
In vitro-fertilization
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Through his attorneys, the father requested access to the remaining sperm samples to conduct a genetic comparison. The hospital said the discrepancy "requires an investigation at each of the hospitals regarding the sperm that was transferred at the time and used for fertilization," adding that the incident had been reported to the Health Ministry in accordance with standard procedures.
The case is the latest in a series of suspected errors involving in vitro fertilization (IVF). Just recently, a single mother claimed that her two children, both conceived through fertility treatments at Assuta Ramat Hahayal, were not genetically related.
According to the mother, testing conducted at a laboratory overseas revealed that the children had been conceived using sperm from different donors, rather than the same donor she had requested for both pregnancies.
Assuta later said its investigation was ongoing. The hospital asked the mother's attorney for permission to conduct genetic testing on additional samples from the same sperm donation. According to Assuta, such testing could help determine whether an error occurred and, if so, identify its source. However, permission was not granted.
The battle over Sophia
Several other major IVF controversies have emerged in Israel in recent years. The first, involving a girl named Sophia, came to light in 2022, when an embryo that was not genetically related to a patient at Assuta Rishon Lezion was mistakenly implanted in her uterus. The error was discovered during the pregnancy, and Sophia was subsequently born.
After the mistake was uncovered, the girl's genetic parents were identified, triggering a prolonged legal battle between them and the parents raising her.
About a year ago, Israel's Supreme Court rejected the genetic parents' request for another hearing in the case, effectively bringing years of litigation to an end. Sophia will remain with the family that has raised her.
In a second case at Assuta Ramat Hahayal, suspicions emerged that a child born through IVF was not genetically related to his father.