Inquiry Launched at Tel Aviv Hospital Over Suspected Sperm Mix-Up

Health officials announced on Monday that the Health Ministry has launched an investigation into a potential sperm mix-up at a hospital in Tel Aviv. The inquiry follows the birth of babies to an Israeli woman, who are suspected not being genetically related to the sperm donor she had chosen.

According to the ministry, the concern emerged after a genetic test was privately carried out in a laboratory located abroad. The ministry has initiated a review of both the test results and the laboratory that performed it Haaretz.

This incident is reminiscent of a case that came to light in September 2022 at Assuta's hospital in Rishon Letzion, involving a switch of embryos. At that time, a genetic test on a woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy revealed that the implanted embryo was not genetically linked to her or her partner.

In the aftermath of that event, the Health Ministry established an investigative committee and summoned dozens of women for testing to identify the embryo's biological parents. For an extended period, the in vitro fertilization unit at Assuta Rishon Letzion was prohibited from admitting new patients.

In late October 2022, the woman gave birth to a baby girl, sparking a legal dispute between the birth mother and her partner, who are raising the child, and the identified genetic parents. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the girl would remain with the parents who raised her, while also establishing a suitable arrangement for contact with her biological parents.