Florida Couple’s Tragic Embryo Mix-up Spotlights IVF’s Harms

A Florida couple is demanding answers and restitution after discovering that the child they birthed through in vitro fertilization (IVF) is not biologically theirs.

A lawsuit filed by new parents Tiffany Score and Steven Mills alleges that the fertility clinic they engaged to help them conceive a child through IVF implanted the wrong embryo in Score’s uterus.

According to the Jan. 27 complaint, the couple contracted with the Fertility Center of Orlando to cryogenically store three viable embryos created with Score’s eggs and Mills’ sperm. When the clinic successfully implanted an embryo in Score’s uterus last April, everything seemed to have gone according to plan. But when the baby was born in December, the couple immediately realized something had gone terribly wrong.

While Score and Mills are both white, the baby girl, whom they named Shea, “displayed the physical appearance of a racially non-Caucasian child,” the lawsuit states.

Genetic testing confirmed their fears—the child they had spent nine months growing, loving, and bonding with was not their biological daughter.

“We are heartbroken, devastated, and confused,” Score wrote on Jan. 29, addressing the situation in a Facebook post.

The case, while devastating, underscores one of the many dilemmas of creating children in labs.

Seeking Answers

As Score and Mills continue to process the news that they are parenting another couple’s child, another pressing question remains unanswered: If they have Shea, who has their children? Are their embryos still frozen, or were they implanted in another unsuspecting woman?

Through their lawsuit, the couple hopes to both confirm the status of their embryos and reunite baby Shea with her biological parents.

“An intensely strong emotional bond was created on the part of Tiffany and Steven with the unborn child Tiffany carried during the nine months of her pregnancy, and despite the certain knowledge that Shea is not their genetically matched child, the emotional bond grows stronger every minute of every day that Shea remains in their care,” the lawsuit states.

While Score and Mills would keep Shea, “they recognize that Shea should legally and morally be united with her genetic parents so long as they are fit, able and willing to take her,” the complaint adds.

While the situation is undoubtedly heartbreaking for Score and Miller, it’s important to acknowledge the ramifications for baby Shea as well. This innocent little girl had no say in any of the circumstances now unfolding, yet she is the person who stands to suffer the most.

What happens when Shea’s biological parents are identified? Will they want her, or will there be a drawn-out court battle over which family should raise her? Or, if her genetic parents do take her, will the abrupt change traumatize her and affect her ability to bond with them, or vice versa?

Studies have shown that even temporary maternal deprivation early in life can significantly alter adult brain function.

Sadly, this is not the first time such a thing has happened. In 2020, two California couples discovered that they were raising each other’s babies thanks to another fertility mix-up. In that case, it took the parents about four months to realize the error. But for one Utah man, it took 12 years and a 23andMe DNA test to find out that his son was not his biological son. Another man’s sperm had fertilized his wife’s egg.

While those cases also led to lawsuits, the reality is that there can be no legal remedy for such monumental mistakes.

It is a life-shattering revelation to find out that your child is not really your child, or that you have no genetic bond to your parents or siblings. No amount of compensation could ever account for the emotional and psychological toll of such a gut punch.

The Human Cost of Playing God

While these mix-ups might be rare, they are an unfortunate consequence of human error—not only in the handling of human life, but in thinking man can play God without disastrous consequences.

There is but one biblical method for the creation of human life, and that is through marital relations between one man and one woman. As with all God’s rules, the purpose of that design is not to punish but rather to protect and preserve the health and well-being of all involved.

Studies have shown that IVF pregnancies are associated with higher risks of complications, miscarriage, and preterm birth. Babies conceived through such technology are also more likely to have genetic disorders, birth defects, and low birth weight.

Further, the IVF process destroys more life than it creates, given that most embryos stop developing and perish within days of fertilization. Multiple cycles are often required to obtain a single live birth.

Then there’s the matter of who raises these children after they’re born. While most IVF couples are undoubtedly well-intentioned people just looking to start a family, the technology opens the door to abuse. Thanks to the U.S. fertility industry’s lack of federal oversight, gaping state loopholes have allowed convicted child sex offenders and abusers to acquire children through IVF and surrogacy.

IVF is also popular with same-sex couples, though research indicates children fare best when raised by their biological mother and father.

To be clear, every child is made in the image of God and deserves to be treated as such. But not all methods of conception are created equal.

The truth is that IVF, though touted by some as a modern miracle, creates more problems than it solves. Baby Shea’s situation exemplifies just one of those problems and should be viewed as a cautionary tale of what happens when you tamper with God’s perfect design.

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