By Jason Hall
Photo: Getty Images
A federal jury awarded nearly $15 Million to five individuals who lost eggs or embryos due to a cryogenic storage tank failure at a fertility clinic in San Francisco.
ABC News reports the lawsuit stemmed from an incident in 2018 in which the Pacific Fertility Center destroyed about 3,500 frozen eggs and embryos.
Three woman who lost their eggs and a married couple who lost embryos in relation to the lawsuit will receive more than $14 million in damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress experienced.
The five individuals are the first to have their case go to a jury, but hundreds of others have also sued the Pacific Fertility Center and Chart Industries Inc., the company responsible for making the cryogenic tank which failed to properly store the specimens.
How do we adapt to engage in fertility conversations?
11 May 2021 2:45 PM
Founder of Infertility Books Patience Luxomo says the conversations around infertility are almost non-existent.
In the past two years, South Africa has experienced an increased awareness around infertility, thanks to the significant concerted efforts and milestone initiatives taken by the various non-profit organisations and other stakeholders. Currently, there is an ongoing campaign to get medical aid schemes to include fertility treatment within their benefit plans, resulting in the first positive outcome with Discovery Health.
Founder of Infertility Books Patience Luxomo spoke of what inspired her to write a book which states how to navigate the fertility journey. She went on to explain the importance of parents especially mothers to have conversations with their daughters on infertility.