Legal Woes for New Orleans In-Vitro Clinic

[Louisiana1976]

(CBS) In New Orleans, Ochsner Hospital's admitted mishandling of frozen embryos could be costly to more than its reputation. Lawyers are circling, for as many as 100 affected patients, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann.

"My clients have struggled with this travesty for the last year," said Melanie Lagarde, an attorney for Kim and Abraham Whitney.

They say Ochsner admits losing four of their frozen embryos.

"They want to know what happened to these embryos," Lagarde said.

Ochsner admits some embryos frozen for later use were mislabeled - or are missing - in its in vitro fertilization center. Despite safeguards that should have included bar-coding, color-coding and labeling.

"We are disappointed in ourselves," said Dr. Patrick Quinlan, said the CEO of Ochsner Health System.

But the hospital says, "No" to the big question: Did any families go home with the wrong child?

<snip>

more...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/26/eveningnews/main5343816.shtml?tag=cbsnewsLeadStoriesAreaMain;cbsnewsLeadStoriesHeadlines

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. By the way, right wing Christians who protest abortion, are okay with having this, despite

...what happens to the extra embryos.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

2. Do you have a link?

I have heard a great number of Christians denouncing in vitro fertilization and freezing of embryos.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. No, sorry. I'm speaking from personal experience:

Someone who is a big-time Christian, Republican and has protested with signs in front of an abortion clinic, just had her baby through in-vitro.

My sister, who was an evangelical, knows of a preacher's wife who had in-vitro (this, in a church that had a big-time anti-abortion movement).

My sister also knows personally a woman who was the leader of this same anti-abortion group, and they went undercover into abortion clinic to secretly photograph and later post it on websites. Well, she got pregnant, the child was diagnosed as having a genetic problem which would result in no eyes, and she secretly went and had it aborted. No, not in that clinic they were investigating.

A woman we both know up here where I live, she recently had in-vitro and is an ardent supporter of the Pro-Life movement.

Further, I hear from Repub Christians how much they hate abortion clinics, but not one word against in-vitro clinics. In fact, my sister remembers that one preacher at a totally different church she went for a visit at, asked everyone to pray for so-and-so so her in-vitro procedure would go well.

And I'm like... huh? Isn't this all of this also a form of abortion?

[KamaAina]

3. I went to boarding school with the scion of the Ochsner family

major-league A-hole. All-Star, in fact.

Then I ended up down there, and ran across a nice English lady who worked there and encouraged me to come join her (at work :( ). Never did find anything, obviously...