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Lesbians' Embryos Go Missing in Murray Hill
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 6, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 6, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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An embryo uh-oh! A lesbian couple is suing a Murray Hill fertility bank because Repro Lab allegedly lost six of their embryos. Eggs that had been harvested from Adriana Pacheco were to be implanted into Pacheco's partner Cathy Berger last spring, but the company said the embryos were lost. Even after looking twice, the lab couldn't find them!
The couple, who had signed an "Embryo Storage Agreement" in 2003 (which would have allowed them to retrieve the embryos whenever they wanted), accuse Repro Lab of "carelessly" and "unskillfully" taking care of the embryos and are seeking $3 million in damages. Their lawyer said, "Repro Lab should have dealt with the embryos with the greatest of care. It's a sacred trust." You'd think that when your business is in embryos, they would be the last things you'd want lose.
This is not the first controversy for Repro Lab. It had been holding a sperm sample of a man who later died of cancer. His parents wanted the sperm (grandchildren, of course) but the lab said the man wanted it destroyed. A judge ruled that the deposit had to be destroyed.
Tagged
murray hill
News: NYC
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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