Wife Who Was Faithful To Husband Gave Birth To Another Man's Kid By Accident
Sep 03, 2021 by apost team
DNA tests have been gaining a lot of popularity in recent years, with many people taking them purely out of fun. Whether it's to see their ancestry or how close their traits are with other family members, the tests are an amusing yet scientific way to find out new information about oneself.
But what if you took a DNA test and realized a truth about yourself or a family member that you weren't expecting? Unfortunately, that's what happened for one couple from Utah named Donna and Vanner Johnson in a story that came out in the summer of 2021. The couple decided to buy a popular DNA kit to do along with their two children. But instead of finding out a fun fact about themselves, they learned that Vanner is not the biological father of their 12-year-old son! What's more, Donna is adamant that she has never been unfaithful to her husband.
So how could this have happened? Although the couple's firstborn child was conceived naturally, their second — the 12-year-old boy — was conceived via in-vitro fertilization, and it appears there was a switch-up where Donna's egg was inseminated with another man's sperm. That's no small mix-up! This might seem like the plot of a movie and although it is rare, it has been known to happen.
Clearly upset about the situation, the family made one thing clear — although the boy might not be Vanner's biological son, he still loves his dad dearly. However, that can't undo the hurt that the situation has caused. Furthermore, the couple made it their mission to find out who their son's biological father is.
In a video interview with ABC, Vanner explained his initial reaction when he first realized that his son wasn't his own biological one:
“When I looked on that page and saw mom for him and saw father unknown and I thought 'what do you mean father unknown?'"
In their search to find out who their son's blood-related father is, the couple decided to go down the route of further DNA testing. Eventually, they came to Devin McNeil, who is the boy's biological father. It turns out that Devin and his wife Kelly McNeil had also gone through IVF around the same time as the Johnsons. Despite residing in Colorado while the Johnsons hail from Utah, both couples used the services of the University of Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine on their pregnancy journeys.
Since learning about their situation, the two families have been in touch regularly as they try to figure out how to move forward with things, communicating over email, Facetime and meeting up in person.
But one path of action that both families are taking is the legal route, with both families filing separate lawsuits against the University of Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine. Furthermore, Devin has advised anyone considering IVF to research beforehand and proceed with caution.
The University of Utah released the following statement to ABC4 in August 2021:
“Although we cannot comment on patient cases without consent or ongoing litigation, the safety and care of our patients is our primary goal. If patients come to us with questions or concerns about their care, we evaluate our care and procedures and, if necessary, make changes to prevent harm from happening to other patients. Our providers and staff strive to provide excellent care and we constantly work to make improvements.”
apost.com
The sad fact is, the Johnsons aren't the only family to have suffered similar horrifying reveals. While it is a rare occurrence, couples from all over the world had similar things happen to them when using IVF. Most of these mistakes can be traced back to human error and mix-ups.
In 2019, an Asian couple from the US made headlines when the wife gave birth to non-Asian twins after using IVF treatments. As BBC reported, DNA tests made after the children's birth showed that they had no genetic relation to either parent - or even each other. The wife had given birth to two white, non-related children. After investigating with the treatment facility, they learned that their own child had been transplanted into another woman - a horrible mix-up.
The Asian couple from 2019 did not want to be in the spotlight and had their name withheld from the press. However, one of the children they gave birth to was handed over to the white donor parents, whose own IVF treatments had failed. The wife spoke to CBS News and said the treatment facility had asked them to do a DNA test - and then surprised them with the fact that another woman had carried their child.
"She said, 'Think of it as a good thing. You have a son now.' And I just lashed out. What about the woman, you know? What is she going through right now?" the wife asked. "Thank God we got our child back, but she ended up with nothing."
What an incredible story. Have you ever heard of anything similar happening or another major mix-up of any kind? Pass this on to those you know so they can learn about it too.