(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
Oh, yes!
(BABY FUSSES)
GRACE TOBIN: Tens of thousands of Australians turn to IVF every year (BABY FUSSES)
GRACE TOBIN: Tens of thousands of Australians turn to IVF every year
GRACE TOBIN: Tens of thousands in the hope of Australians turn to IVF every year of having their own miracle baby.
in the hope of having their own miracle baby.
Oh, I've wanted to be a mother my whole life.
The lucrative industry behind baby-making
The lucrative industry can make those dreams come true.
1 in 18 births is an IVF birth.
But when things go wrong...
(CRIES) It's more bad news.
..there's not enough transparency and accountability.
It takes forever to get back to the bloody starting line.
It takes forever to get back (CRIES)
These are the stories, the errors and unbelievable bungles
that Australia's biggest fertility companies aren't owning up to.
How could they have used the wrong sperm to make children?
How many half-siblings do you think you might have?
So, there could be potentially 700 siblings.
Our children's conditions were not severe enough
to stop the sperm from sale.
It's just money. That's all it is.
(LAUGHS)
Hello. How are you?
Now patients are coming together and fighting back.
ANASTASIA GUNN: I think they've messed with the wrong women.
People need to know that, when things go wrong,
this is how they treat people.
This is the company you're getting into bed with.
(INSECTS CHIRP)
In a farming shed in far northern New South Wales
In a farming shed two mums work into the night.
ANASTASIA GUNN: So... Oh, yeah, those people are twins.
They're the ones that I've messaged and I haven't heard back from.
This is the nerve centre of their two-year investigation
into one of Australia's biggest fertility clinics.
We are like detectives because we're trying to find out the truth.
Nobody's just offering up the truth to us, We are like detectives because we're trying to find out the truth.
Nobody's just offering up the truth to us,
Nobody's just offering up so, we've gone looking for it.
Sometimes we just sit there and do that for hours.
Sometimes we just sit there One of us will be on one website,
one of us will be on another,
and then together we put together the information.
Anastasia and Lexie Gunn are the mums of three boys
Anastasia and Lexie Gunn conceived through donor sperm.
Just click on that.
We'll see if it matches
the information that we've got about the donor.
Most evenings they spend hours searching for clues
into what went wrong with the conception of their children.
We love our boys so deeply,
and what we want to do is get to the bottom of what's happened.
How do you personally describe what has happened to your family?
We had IVF and got the wrong sperm.
(BIRD TWEETS)
Hey, Mum.
Hey! How are you going?
How was town? Good.
The couple's oldest son was conceived in 2006
The couple's oldest son at the state's largest IVF clinic,
the Queensland Fertility Group.
Anastasia says she took great care in choosing the right sperm donor.
Went to QFG and they had a big book with the donor profile.
So, at the top of every profile it had the donor number,
but there was definitely no photos and no names.
There's an age bracket for the donor,
their educational background
and their health history as well.
And what donor number did you choose for your first son?
I chose donor number 227.
From day one he was a big, strapping boy.
Four years later
Anastasia and Lexie wanted to have more children.
We contacted QFG to check that we could use the same donor.
And they said, "Yes, you can."
So, at every point we were very clear
in the documentation and every conversation we had with them
that we wanted donor 227 to be the donor that we used.
Their youngest sons were born two years apart.
As they grew up, both boys have had serious health issues.
Our middle child is diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Our middle child is diagnosed with As time went on
the diagnoses kept adding up.
Our youngest son is less affected.
He has joint hypermobility syndrome also.
He also has a diagnosis on the autism spectrum and ADHD.
The two little boys have medical issues
that the older boy hasn't got.
Right, you put your socks on.
The couple wanted to find out if other children of donor 227
had similar diagnoses,
so, they sent the boy's DNA to an ancestry website
so, they sent the boy's DNA to track down other families.
The results floored them.
I found it profoundly confusing.
I could see that there was no match I found it profoundly confusing.
I could see that there was no match
between our eldest boy and our younger two.
She just rang me and was, like, hysterical and was so upset
and she just kept saying, "They gave us the wrong sperm.
and she just kept saying, "The boys don't match."
And I was just...
I don't know. I just couldn't believe it.
Has QFG provided any explanation at this point
as to how this could have happened?
None whatsoever.
At first they relied on denial
that Ancestry or any other At first they relied on denial
that Ancestry or any other home DNA testing could be accurate.
We then attended legally binding DNA testing
that they use for legal paternity testing in Brisbane,
that they use for legal and tested all three of our sons,
and that showed definitively
that our eldest son does not share any DNA with our younger children.
We provided that evidence to them in January 2023.
They have reiterated that, according to their documents,
they used donor 227 for our IVF
and that donor 227 is the biological father of our children.
So, in the face of scientific evidence,
QFG is just absolutely denying this has happened?
Yes, they have completely denied that this has happened.
Yes, they have completely denied They have offered no rationale.
So, how did you discover then who the real donor was?
Ah, well, that was hundreds and hundreds of hours of work.
Ah, well, that was hundreds So, this is a culmination
of putting together a lot of different sources.
Their research has led them to another QFG donor.
DNA testing shows the two younger boys
DNA testing shows match with children from donor 222.
So, we discovered that donor 222 and donor 227 came in on the same day
and delivered their specimens on the same day.
And, so, it could have been swapped on that day.
Is it baffling to you
that QFG to date has accepted no responsibility for what's happened?
that QFG to date has accepted no Blows my mind.
Hurts my heart.
Do you think they owe you that?
They owe my children that and me that.
My children are people, not products.
Like, we're not talking about a pair of sneakers.
Like, I didn't go home and open up the box
and they were the wrong brand of sneakers.
These are my children.
QFG is owned by Australia's largest IVF provider, Virtus Health,
which has clinics all around the country.
In what's become a fiercely competitive and profitable industry
In what's become a fiercely Virtus is the market leader.
The fertility company
was at the centre of a heated takeover battle in 2022
won by private equity giant BGH Capital.
BILL LEDGER: Private equity is all about money.
BILL LEDGER: These are smart financial people.
They wouldn't have These are smart financial people.
They wouldn't have bought into these clinics
unless they thought they were going to make profit out of it.
What is driving that huge growth and interest?
We are providing a part of health care that people want.
In Australia now 1 in 18 births is an IVF birth.
The fact is it's in great demand.
And if you are working in a business where the demand is huge,
where the number of customers you have is huge,
inevitably almost you will make money
if you can provide something that's of decent value.
Three big players
account for more than 80% of the industry's total revenue -
account for more than 80% Virtus Health, Monash IVF and Genea.
I think it's good there are at least three.
The advantage, you know, if you like the concept of capitalism -
The advantage, you know, if you like they do compete,
and competition can improve quality
and push down costs and so forth.
So, that's a good thing.
But the downside, I guess,
is that sometimes the corporates
can be a little cold and a little distant
and patients and people around patients
get the sense that they're a number in a machine
rather than a human being.
And that's something that's all of our jobs to try and prevent.
Professor Bill Ledger is a fertility specialist
with 30 years experience in public and private IVF clinics.
He's adamant - when things go wrong, patient care must come first.
We all must accept that occasionally error will happen.
Each has to be dealt with very thoroughly, analysed deeply,
change made to prevent it happening again.
But if you have a clinic or clinics where mistakes keep happening,
then there has to be a significant inquiry,
and that should be external
and it should be visible and 100% transparent,
but then probably change has to be made.
(DOORBELL RINGS)
Hello! Hi!
Hello! Come on in.
Long time no see. Come on in.
Long time no see. How was your drive?
Not too bad.
Definitely not as bad as I thought it would be.
Definitely not as bad Oh, that's good.
How're you going? Oh, that's good.
How're you going? Hey, Josh.
How're you going? Come on in.
Sisters Sophie and Amelia Hawkshaw and their husbands, Josh and Zach,
are private people.
Do you have any chopping you want me to do? Yeah, yeah, sure.
But they feel compelled to speak publicly for the first time
But they feel compelled about their experience
with one of the big three about their experience
with one of the big three fertility clinics, Genea.
with one of the big three I'll just put that there.
I think people need to know that when things go wrong,
this is what Genea does.
This is how they treat people.
This is the company you're getting into bed with.
This is the company (LAUGHS)
MAN: (SINGS) # Da, da-da, da... #
It was, yeah, just the two of us growing up with my parents.
It was, yeah, just the two of us And we're only two years apart.
You just have your own little world And we're only two years apart.
You just have your own little world of play together as kids.
You just have your own little world Ready?! Set! Go!
Yeah, it's always kind of been the two amigos of Amelia and I.
The sisters found out when they were teenagers
The sisters found out that Amelia couldn't produce eggs.
And it meant that,
if I wanted to have a family,
that I would need donor eggs from someone else. if I wanted to have a family,
that I would need donor eggs from someone else.
that I would need donor eggs So...
I kind of flippantly said,
"Oh, I'll just give you some I kind of flippantly said,
"Oh, I'll just give you some of my eggs. I'll just donate eggs."
"Oh, I'll just give you some (CHILD BABBLES)
What is it?
More than a decade on What is it?
More than a decade on from that promise...
More than a decade on What smells? Should we have a look?
..Sophie had her first baby.
Ready? You can sit next to Meels here.
It meant she was then ready to start the process
It meant she was then ready of donating her eggs to Amelia.
(CHILD BABBLES)
The sisters went to a public fertility unit
at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
The low-cost clinic is state-government funded
and run in collaboration with fertility giant Genea.
So, all of the patient care is done by RPA staff and run in collaboration with fertility giant Genea.
So, all of the patient care is done by RPA staff
and all of the lab work is done by Genea,
who are a private company
that have a contract who are a private company
that have a contract with New South Wales Health.
Sophie's retrieval procedure last August produced 22 eggs.
When did you find out how many embryos you had?
So, the next day is considered day one,
and we found out that we had 17 embryos that had been fertilised.
and we found out that we had And that was just so exciting.
It was such good news.
I felt like my job was done.
Normally we would get our next update on day three.
Normally we would get We didn't get that far.
So, we got our call on day two...
..to say that the embryos had been...
..contaminated with a bacteria.
And, so, it was those 17 that had to be destroyed.
Just all of them.
What did those 17 embryos represent to you?
Those 17 embryos...
I mean, they were all...
..like, potential children that we could have had.
A Sydney hospital has been forced to destroy embryos
belonging to IVF patients.
Within days their personal tragedy was thrust into the public spotlight.
And it felt almost like a betrayal because it was our story,
And it felt almost like a betrayal that I just wanted to scream, like,
"That's us that you're talking about."
Privately, the sisters were struggling to find out
Privately, the sisters what exactly had gone wrong.
The doctor said at the time
that because it was something The doctor said at the time
that because it was something that had happened in the lab,
that because it was something it was an issue for Genea
rather than the public hospital.
They said that...
..I would be called by Genea to organise next steps.
..I would be called by Genea (BIRD TWITTERS)
Genea told them an investigation was underway
and that two other families had also had their embryos destroyed.
OK, here we go again.
Ready to make a baby!
Make sure it's ready.
It's hopefully the last one. Last round.
Ah!
Come on, baby-making!
Br-br-br-br. (LAUGHS)
Good and bad emotions when I look at that.
So, I remember being excited but at the same time very hesitant.
Vikki Muller had her egg retrieval in the same week as Sophie.
She got two eggs, which turned into two healthy embryos.
But during the procedure a blood vessel was pierced
and Vikki suffered an internal bleed.
Yeah, it wasn't a very good night.
Probably the worst pain I've ever been in in my life, to be honest.
Probably the worst pain I've ever In so many of those photos, though,
you're smiling In so many of those photos, though,
you're smiling and holding up two fingers.
Oh, do you know what? Because I... it was the best result I've got.
I mean, this is the best result we've got in five years.
Like...
I was in so much pain, but I was so...
I felt so strong. I still felt really optimistic.
And I was proud of myself, you know? I was proud of myself.
And I was proud of myself, you know? I got 100%, you know.
It was Vikki's fourth round of IVF.
Ohh! It was Vikki's fourth round of IVF.
Ohh! Hello!
Ohh! Welcome home.
She and her partner, Chris,
were forced to delay trying for a baby
after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years ago.
after he was diagnosed Lots of nothing.
I want to see my partner happy. Lots of nothing.
I want to see my partner happy.
And that's... That's part of why this journey has been so difficult.
The couple was told about Genea's lab contamination
when Vikki was recovering in hospital.
Their precious two embryos had to be destroyed.
What did those two healthy embryos represent to you?
What did those two healthy embryos They were like gold to us.
Yeah.
When it dawned, you know, in the hospital, there was just...
When it dawned, you know, ..it just became a source of anger,
you know, frustration, sadness, heartbreak.
It's all milling around, you know?
Genea told them bacteria in the embryology solution
was believed to be the likely cause.
Vikki and Chris pressed Genea for more information.
It was like, as soon as we got discharged from hospital,
It was like, as soon it was...we were non-existent.
They basically made me feel
like a bad person for wanting to have a baby.
You know, when I asked for what really happened,
and there was just a bit of this "Yeah, the media was infected."
Well, I already know that.
"How on earth does a company like you
"supply such an important service for an IVF process,
"in dealing with people's lives and families...
"..how on earth does that get infected?
"Just delve a little bit more into that to me, please."
You know, was someone not wearing gloves handling the...like PPE?
I mean, what happened?!
But also, like, we're entitled to understanding
But also, like, what's gone wrong here.
Right? what's gone wrong here.
Right? We're allowed to have an answer.
Sophie and Amelia and their husbands, Josh and Zach,
Sophie and Amelia have also been demanding answers
on how such a critical error could occur.
It's our information. That's right.
Yeah. That's what we went through.
Yeah. Early on Genea indicated
there was a staff member with dermatitis on their hands
working that day,
but it wouldn't share the full details.
It's clear that human error was involved in the incident.
And human error does happen.
But, for us, what's really caused the trauma
and kind of affected us long term
has been how we've been treated since the incident occurred.
has been how we've been treated How difficult has it been
to extract information from Genea about what went wrong?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Genea has refused to give the families a copy of its investigation,
known as the 'root cause analysis'.
The fertility giant told them it won't hand over the report:
How did you feel reading THAT
as the reason why you couldn't know what happened?
Ah, that's absolute rubbish. That's just protecting themselves.
Ah, that's absolute rubbish. That's going into damage control.
Give me some information That's going into damage control.
Give me some information and some answers.
I really... Regardless of if you're private or public,
I really... Regardless it's my body,
it's our embryos that you destroyed or didn't look after.
How difficult is it to be honest and open to someone?
How difficult is it I... I just... I don't understand.
Vikki and Chris have teamed up with the other couples
to hold Genea to account.
(ON LAPTOP) The Honourable Jacqui Munro.
They've enlisted the help of a state MP.
We know that this has occurred for some women,
and that they deserve to know exactly what happened to the embryos
they thought would develop into families.
they thought They're hoping political pressure
will force Genea They're hoping political pressure
will force Genea and New South Wales Health
to be transparent about what went wrong.
SOPHIE HAWKSHAW: We are fighting so hard
SOPHIE HAWKSHAW: to get that root cause analysis.
So, Jacqui Munro, to get that root cause analysis.
So, Jacqui Munro, who's an MLP in the Upper House,
So, Jacqui Munro, she did a motion for
the documents relating to our case to be publicly released. she did a motion for
the documents relating to our case to be publicly released.
I can only assume
that this is a profoundly personal I can only assume
that this is a profoundly personal and devastating experience.
that this is a profoundly personal Thank you, Minister.
It's taken going to Parliament
to get access to our own medical information.
Yeah, I think it's absolutely ridiculous
that this is how far we've had to take it.
Oh.
Private-equity-owned companies like Genea and Virtus Health
benefit hugely from Australia's generous Medicare system.
An IVF cycle at one of these big clinics
An IVF cycle can cost between $10,000 to $12,000.
About half of that cost can cost between $10,000 to $12,000.
About half of that cost is covered by taxpayers.
KARIN HAMMARBERG: The truth is that the shareholders
benefit from the Medicare payments as well.
I think it would be expected that there would be transparency.
Fertility researcher Karin Hammarberg
has 20 years clinical experience in IVF.
She says corporate clinics should be held to account when things go wrong.
If there has been
and it's established that there has been a mistake,
transparency, I think, is always the best way to manage it
and obviously acknowledging that something bad has happened
and what can be done in the future to avoid that it happens again?
There IS a national regulator -
the Reproductive Technology There IS a national regulator -
the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee.
the Reproductive Technology But it isn't independent.
It's run by industry peak body The Fertility Society.
RTAC's primary role
is to audit clinics RTAC's primary role
is to audit clinics through a code of practice
and grant licences, which allows them to claim Medicare rebates.
Is it even more important then that these corporate clinics
that are receiving taxpayer dollars
are being accountable and transparent?
are being accountable Yes, it is.
To my mind, it's quite unique
that taxpayer money
is transferring pretty much directly into private equity companies
is transferring pretty much directly via a healthcare provision.
It's a system that has evolved. via a healthcare provision.
It's a system that has evolved.
It's been... It's changed organically over the years.
It's been... It's changed Maybe it's time for a major review
just to make sure that it's all functioning as it should.
(PLAYS GENTLE MELODY)
KATHERINE DAWSON: I thought it was pretty cool
that I was made in a petri dish and in a lab
and I was frozen for possibly seven years.
Like, that sounds like sci fi.
I didn't have any interest in finding out who the donor was.
I assumed he'd be a nice, generous, healthy bloke
I assumed he'd be because that's what they advertise.
That's what they tell you they use.
(CONCLUDES SONG)
That's what everyone believes.
That's what you would think is legislated, that IS used.
That's what you would think You don't think there's any lies.
Katherine Dawson has discovered
she's at the centre of an unbelievable bungle
involving two of Australia's biggest fertility companies.
DNA testing has revealed
poor vetting practices allowed her donor father to donate sperm
poor vetting practices allowed under multiple different names,
with alarming consequences.
How many names did he tell you that he donated under?
I think that there were seven, including his own.
So, how many half-siblings do you think you might have?
So, how many half-siblings So, at this stage,
I think and I estimate
that there could be up to 700 siblings.
And it's still inside Victoria, this doesn't cover...
And it's still inside Victoria, It sounds far-fetched,
but Katherine says the evidence continues to stack up.
He pretty much said to me when I met him,
he said all of the fake names that he used
and that he went to six clinics and four hospitals.
So, I might not have wanted to believe him,
and there might be reason not to believe him,
but I've already found siblings across three different codes.
Those three codes are from Melbourne IVF,
which is owned by Virtus Health,
and the ASX-listed Monash IVF.
So far Katherine says sibling lists and DNA results
have delivered matches for 56 half-siblings.
It's totally possible that your mate's sister could be my sister
thanks to clinics not checking or verifying identification.
thanks to clinics not checking She's using social media
to track down as many half-siblings as she can.
What's, like, the threshold
for you to think something's not quite right?
It's not just the daunting number of half-siblings that worries Katherine.
How about we just let each other know who we are
so that we don't date or have kids together?
so that we don't date There's an urgency to her search.
I have medical information for my siblings
I really need them to have
that could save their life.
As Katherine's connected with more and more half-siblings,
she's learned of a bowel-cancer risk.
She says the donor also has schizophrenia.
Why do you feel a responsibility
to find and contact each Why do you feel a responsibility
to find and contact each of those potentially 700 siblings?
to find and contact each I can't live with myself
if I don't try to get that information to them.
But why is it your job to get that information to them?
It's not my job, but the clinics won't do it. But why is it your job to get that information to them?
It's not my job, but the clinics won't do it.
It's not my job, The clinics have had seven years.
Melbourne IVF has told Four Corners
it wrote to recipient families in 2019,
it wrote to recipient families and 64% of them received the letter.
But the clinic didn't say what health information it had passed on.
The clinics will only send a letter to my siblings' parents -
the person who had the treatment -
to an address that's potentially 20 to 40 years old.
to an address that's potentially Is it fair enough, though,
to say that the clinics have made Is it fair enough, though,
to say that the clinics have made some effort to contact your siblings?
to say that the clinics have made I think making an effort
is very different to what they CAN do.
is very different They can use VANISH,
which is a service They can use VANISH,
which is a service to find their updated addresses.
They absolutely know they can use VANISH.
They absolutely know Monash IVF told Four Corners
it treats any new health concerns Monash IVF told Four Corners
it treats any new health concerns raised by its donor-conceived people
it treats any new health concerns seriously and sensitively,
and that it must comply with its legislative obligations.
If someone had information for you that could save your life,
If someone had information for you how would you feel
knowing that the clinics that created you
and market you as a special gift, a miracle,
and they're blocking you from having it?
They're worried about the dividends that go to shareholders,
not the human products that are on the other end of the treatments.
Katherine has complained to the industry-funded regulator RTAC
that both clinics are withholding vital health information
by not doing more to directly contact her half-siblings.
by not doing more to directly contact She's begged RTAC to act.
What did RTAC say in that response to your complaint?
What did RTAC say in that response In response to my formal complaint
they've said In response to my formal complaint
they've said that all they can really do
is strongly encourage the clinics to act.
There's millions going into making these babies,
but nothing going into protecting them.
Are you surprised that the regulator
can't do more in these individual cases?
Keep in mind that these cases are rare, can't do more in these individual cases?
Keep in mind that these cases are rare,
Keep in mind and RTAC has not been set up
to deeply investigate
and regulate individual practice.
That's not its role.
It does a good job, but its job is That's not its role.
It does a good job, but its job is limited by the rules it works under.
And, so, perhaps there's a need for a system that is novel
to regulate that part of the industry.
to regulate (BIRDS TWITTER)
Lexie and Anastasia Gunn have also complained to the regulator,
but RTAC doesn't investigate matters it considers historical
because they predate its current code of practice.
The couple is now suing their IVF clinic,
The couple is now suing the Queensland Fertility Group.
So, Anastasia, you're a family of five living in a farming shed now.
Was that the plan? No, not at all.
We'd saved up money to do our house extensions
We'd saved up money and framed out the kids' bedrooms.
And now we have to use and framed out the kids' bedrooms.
And now we have to use all our life savings, basically,
And now we have to use to fight QFG in court.
QFG told Four Corners
it's keen to work with the family
to find it's keen to work with the family
to find a mutually acceptable resolution,
but it wouldn't comment on the details of the legal claim
but it wouldn't comment while it's before the court.
LEXIE GUNN: They were hoping we would just go,
"It's in the too-hard basket," and run away or run out of money.
And instead?
Instead I would sell my kidneys to fight this.
Oh, I think it's a very dangerous thing to underestimate all mothers,
but particularly mothers of children with disabilities.
I think they've messed with the wrong women.
Four Corners is aware of another allegation
that QFG used the wrong sperm
to conceive children.
Queensland's Office of the Health Ombudsman
is investigating both complaints
as well as systemic issues
across the state's entire fertility industry.
In the end, if mistakes have been made, across the state's entire fertility industry.
In the end, if mistakes have been made,
they will be unearthed at some point.
And bad publicity...
No-one wants bad publicity,
so, denial, I guess, is perhaps one way of trying to avoid a problem,
but in the end it will probably come back and, you know, bite you anyway.
Single mum Danielle Patorniti is fighting her own battle against QFG.
DANIELLE PATORNITI: When you have a clinic
that continues to be deceitful and not tell full stories,
that's what really, really annoys me.
She's on her way to meet two other women
who she's discovered used the same sperm donor to start their families.
Between them they have four kids,
all offspring of the same donor.
The half-siblings have almost identical disabilities,
The half-siblings including moderate to severe autism.
Has there been any admission from QFG
that this is genetically linked to the donor potentially?
QFG deny everything. that this is genetically linked to the donor potentially?
QFG deny everything.
Even with three different mothers,
the same donor,
four children with allied health reports
four children that pretty much read word-for-word
there's still no admission
that it's anything to do there's still no admission
that it's anything to do with what they're selling.
Danielle first realised there was a potential issue
Danielle first realised with QFG's sperm donor
when she connected online with single mum Nikita.
Hi! Hi.
Nice to finally meet you. You too!
Come and take a seat. Thanks!
The women haven't met face to face before.
What has it been, like, three years or something?
But they've been swapping medical information about their sons
But they've been swapping since 2021.
Have you heard from QFG?
We actually did a comparison.
So, we actually wrote down my son's conditions, her son's conditions,
and we were like, "It's like looking in the mirror."
and we were like, Yes, called this morning...
Concerned it was more Yes, called this morning...
Concerned it was more than a coincidence,
Concerned it was more Danielle and Nikita asked QFG
to share information about their sons' matching health issues
with other families.
We begged them at different points, phone calls, emails, with other families.
We begged them at different points, phone calls, emails,
We begged them at different points, just asking, "Can you, please,
"pass this information along?"
Sharing how important "pass this information along?"
Sharing how important early intervention is,
sharing that, "Yes, we understand we haven't got a proven genetic link,
"but what's the harm in sharing this information?"
Hello?!
Hi! Hi! How are you going?
Good! How are you? You're taller than I thought you would be.
(LAUGHTER)
I have to stand on my tippy toes.
(LAUGHTER)
Hello. How are you? (LAUGHTER)
Hello. How are you? Good! How are you?
Hello. How are you? Good!
Then late last year they found Maree.
Her daughter had recently been diagnosed with autism,
and her four-year-old son's diagnosis was pending.
When Maree told me about her children,
When Maree told me I literally felt sick.
I had goosebumps all over my arms.
It just felt like for those three years that we had been fighting
It just felt like for those three was sort of like just...
Yeah, she'd missed out on those years.
So, during those years that you're advocating,
pushing for QFG to tell other families,
pushing for QFG Maree was none the wiser?
Yeah. It was quite horrifying, Maree was none the wiser?
Yeah. It was quite horrifying, to be honest.
And, you know, I wouldn't change my kids for the world. Yeah. It was quite horrifying, to be honest.
And, you know, I wouldn't change my kids for the world.
And, you know, I wouldn't I love them and I'm so grateful.
I went through a lot to have them.
But I feel that all of the information
But I feel that could have been shared
has not been shared...
..to me.
Is that frustrating?
Yeah, it's frustrating.
It's really... I mean, our children all share half of the same DNA.
They're all experiencing similar challenges.
I don't think the duty of care ends when the baby is born.
Have you asked QFG why you weren't informed about the other two boys?
I have, yeah,
and they've never specifically answered that question, so...
and they've never specifically Yeah.
(RAIN PATTERS)
QFG has told Four Corners
it's geneticists advised them there was no clinical requirement
it's geneticists advised them to notify other families
about the diagnoses of Danielle and Nikita's boys.
It wasn't until months after Maree contacted the clinic
It wasn't until months about HER children
that QFG decided it would advise patients,
that QFG decided but only about the autism diagnosis.
But, following further questions,
QFG conceded to Four Corners
that there is still one family QFG conceded to Four Corners
that there is still one family it hasn't informed.
There is apparently someone that's pregnant
There is apparently and there's three embryos
that have been created
sitting in a freezer
ready to make another three families.
So, there are still children now being born...
Yes. ..by using this donor?
Yes. Yes.
After us fighting and pleading and carrying on
After us fighting and pleading for years and years on end...
..the semen has never been destroyed.
..the semen It's continuing to be sold
as probably gold-class Australian sperm.
I just don't understand how they can create kids
with something that there's a higher chance
with something of it turning into disability.
It's just money. That's all it is.
QFG says the donor sperm is still available for family extension -
in other words, for patients who've already used the donor
in other words, for patients and want more children.
Why wouldn't the clinic stop using a sperm donor
in those circumstances?
I can't quite understand that. in those circumstances?
I can't quite understand that.
It would seem...
Unless it is proven
that it's not linked to the sperm donor,
I think you have to presume that it might be.
I think you have to presume Starting in 10.
(BABY SQUEALS)
Set yourself up. You can do your split stance or you can jog.
Alright, let's go.
10 months on from Genea destroying her two embryos,
Vikki is trying her best to stay optimistic.
Vikki is trying her best OK, going into your hooks!
What have you got?!
Step and pass!
Ready? Where's Mum?!
But time is precious.
She's now with a new fertility clinic
after turning down Genea's offer of a free cycle
through the public system.
Alright, have a rest, guys!
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello? Vikki speaking.
Today Vikki is receiving the results of a blood test
to see if she can go ahead with another IVF cycle.
to see if she can go ahead (SIGHS HEAVILY)
Gosh.
OK. Yep. Bye.
Hey, Chris?!
(SIGHS) Not starting.
Not starting? Nah.
More bad news.
God.
(CRIES)
Hang in there.
(CRIES) It's just annoying.
It's one thing after another, (CRIES) It's just annoying.
It's one thing after another, isn't it?
Oh! It takes forever to get back to the bloody starting line.
(CRIES)
Hang in there, babes.
AMELIA HAWKSHAW: The trauma is still there, but...
AMELIA HAWKSHAW: ..yeah, we're hoping to be moving on
with growing our family,
which we're really excited about.
Yeah, and...
Can I share my good news?
I would love you to share your good news.
I would love you Are you OK if I share this...
OK, cool.
We're really pleased that we are actually pregnant at the moment.
We're really pleased that we are So, we're expecting in November,
which is really huge for us.
Congratulations.
Thank you. (LAUGHS)
Sophie and Josh are also expecting their second child
Sophie and Josh at the end of the year.
Wonderful to have a nephew coming soon.
I think what's important to me now is that...
..that patients are supported in the future
if something like this were to ever happen again.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
It's an important day for Sophie and Amelia.
This is a good day. This is an exciting day.
This is a good day. Yes.
They're meeting Vikki at New South Wales Parliament...
They're meeting Vikki Hi!
..hoping they'll finally gain access to Genea's investigation findings.
Hey. Ohh!
We're here! It's been way too long.
(LAUGHS) How are you?! Good!
They've all invested so much hope
that the parliamentary process will force Genea's hand.
Shall we? Let's.
I'm so excited!
JACQUI MUNRO: Hello. It's so good to meet you.
I'm Jacqui Munro. Amelia.
Amelia. Lovely to meet you. You too.
Sophie. Sophie.
Thank you so much for coming in. I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much for coming in. But Liberal MP Jacqui Munro
doesn't deliver the news But Liberal MP Jacqui Munro
doesn't deliver the news they're anticipating.
doesn't deliver the news Essentially, the government
has declined to provide further information from Genea.
So, at this stage we've asked for the root cause analysis report,
but the government haven't pressed Genea
to actually release that information.
It's so important that we get...
The women are told
Genea has raised significant concerns with New South Wales Health
about the public release of the root cause analysis.
The reason that it's so important
that we have these documents, of course,
is because when the public system partners with the private system
there must be accountability and transparency
in that agreement and that arrangement.
in that agreement We know that the taxpayers...
They're no closer to finding out the truth.
Of course, what does this RCA have in it
that they're trying so hard to prevent us from seeing?
For them, the lack of transparency is crushing.
So exhausting that 10 months later we're still at this point.
It's OK. Sorry.
It's OK. It's alright.
It's frustrating. (CRIES) Take a breath. I know.
Can we get some tissues? Yeah.
OK.
(CRIES)
I know.
It's exhausting I know.
It's exhausting and it's frustrating.
It's exhausting I want to keep going if we can.
Yeah.
We're not going away.
(CHUCKLES WEAKLY)
If it takes going to Parliament, if it takes going to court,
If it takes going to Parliament, we're not going away.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation