fLIP
UFO Hunter
A LESBIAN couple is suring a Canberra doctor after one of them gave birth to twins instead of one child.
In the first case of its kind in Australia, the couple, who now live in Melbourne, are suing Dr Robert Armellin for more than $400,000 to cover the cost of raising one of the twin girls until the age of 21.
The birth mother of the girls, who are now aged three, claims Dr Armellin implanted her with two embryos, when she told him minutes before the IVF procedure in November 2003 that she only wanted one.
The women, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the ACT Supreme Court today the mother suffered nausea during her pregnancy and in the latter stages could only move around with a walking stick.
She said she and her partner briefly considered adopting out one of the girls but dismissed the idea.
"You thought: `Which one am I not meant to have'?" Dr Armellin's barrister Kim Burke asked.
"Yes, I did," the woman replied.
She said adopting out one child would be unfair to both girls.
"The primary consideration was that adoption shifted the burden of responsibility for this situation onto the children," she said.
"The burden is not the children's to bear. The burden is ours alone."
The woman said she enjoyed some aspects of the pregnancy, such as decorating the girls' nursery, but other parts were distressing, including purchasing a pram.
"It was like the last frontier of acceptance to spend hundreds of dollars on a pram," she said.
The couple, whose combine income exceeds $100,000, are seeking $398,000 to cover the costs of raising one of the girls, including private school fees.
They also want around $15,000 to compensate them for time off work, plus an additional amount for medical expenses.
The case is the first of its kind in Australia, Ms Burke said.
There have been two other similar cases in the United Kingdom, where the names of the plaintiffs have also been suppressed.
The civil hearing before Justice Annabel Bennett continues.
In the first case of its kind in Australia, the couple, who now live in Melbourne, are suing Dr Robert Armellin for more than $400,000 to cover the cost of raising one of the twin girls until the age of 21.
The birth mother of the girls, who are now aged three, claims Dr Armellin implanted her with two embryos, when she told him minutes before the IVF procedure in November 2003 that she only wanted one.
The women, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the ACT Supreme Court today the mother suffered nausea during her pregnancy and in the latter stages could only move around with a walking stick.
She said she and her partner briefly considered adopting out one of the girls but dismissed the idea.
"You thought: `Which one am I not meant to have'?" Dr Armellin's barrister Kim Burke asked.
"Yes, I did," the woman replied.
She said adopting out one child would be unfair to both girls.
"The primary consideration was that adoption shifted the burden of responsibility for this situation onto the children," she said.
"The burden is not the children's to bear. The burden is ours alone."
The woman said she enjoyed some aspects of the pregnancy, such as decorating the girls' nursery, but other parts were distressing, including purchasing a pram.
"It was like the last frontier of acceptance to spend hundreds of dollars on a pram," she said.
The couple, whose combine income exceeds $100,000, are seeking $398,000 to cover the costs of raising one of the girls, including private school fees.
They also want around $15,000 to compensate them for time off work, plus an additional amount for medical expenses.
The case is the first of its kind in Australia, Ms Burke said.
There have been two other similar cases in the United Kingdom, where the names of the plaintiffs have also been suppressed.
The civil hearing before Justice Annabel Bennett continues.
