In a shocking lawsuit filed in the US district court in Boston, Dr Merle Berger, a prominent figure in the field of fertility and founder of Boston IVF, is accused of clandestinely impregnating a patient with his own sperm.
Despite assuring the patient, Sarah Depoian, that the sperm would come from an anonymous donor resembling her husband, a hidden truth has come to light, leading to a legal battle that exposes ethical concerns in the realm of reproductive medicine, reported the Guardian.
As per the civil claim, Depoian and her husband sought fertility treatment with Dr Berger in 1980.
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Assured by Berger that an anonymous medical resident’s sperm would be used for insemination, the couple embarked on the treatment.
Shockingly, it is alleged that Berger secretly replaced the promised donor sperm with his own, violating Depoian’s trust and denying her the right to give informed consent.
Dr Merle Berger has been a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard medical school for over three decades. Photo: Reuters
The truth remained hidden for decades until Depoian’s daughter, Carolyn Bester, decided to explore her ancestry through at-home DNA tests. Born in 1981, Bester uncovered the shocking truth that Dr Merle Berger was her biological father.
Allegations of ‘medical rape’
Depoian’s attorney, Adam Wolf, categorises Berger’s actions as a severe breach of trust, describing the covert insemination as a form of “medical rape.”
Wolf asserts that Berger intentionally violated his patient’s wishes and acted unethically and illegally.
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While Berger no longer practices, his legal team denies the allegations, claiming they lack legal or factual merit and vowing to disprove them in court.
This lawsuit is not an isolated incident, as similar cases are emerging across the United States.
(With inputs from agencies)
