It sounds like a movie script: Desperate and destitute couple wanting to have a child impersonate a wealthy person to finance the expensive In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment. Unfortunately, according to some doctors, that scenario is not as far-fetched as it might seem.
Safeguards against identity fraud by IVF -- the so-called test-tube baby technique -- patients are needed in order to prevent impostors gaining access to treatment, a scientist said Tuesday.
Speaking at the 22nd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Prague, Czech Republic, Dr.Luca Sabatini, from the Center for Reproductive Medicine at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK, said that research had shown that many clinics in the UK felt they did not have sufficient safeguards to properly check patients' identities, and that one in three of them could have already experienced attempts to gain treatment fraudulently.
Dr. Sabatini told the conference that interest in this subject had arisen because of a recent fraudulent attempt to obtain treatment in his clinic.
"We discovered that a couple who were about to undertake the final step of an IVF treatment were not being honest with us," said Dr. Sabatini. "Luckily we were able to stop the treatment just in time."
The St Bartholomew's hospital team surveyed 70 Human Fertilisation and Embryology licensed units, including both publicly funded and private clinics, in the UK.
Of those surveyed, 45 responded, of which 37 percent reported having experienced or suspected cases of patient identity fraud. Overall, 53 percent of those surveyed felt that they did not have sufficient safeguards. Methods of checking identity varied widely, with one in four clinics not checking patient identity at all.
"Although identity fraud among patients is still a relatively infrequent event, it has important medico-legal ramifications", said Dr. Sabatini. "Our overwhelming feeling is that there are insufficient measures to protect the unit, the patient's legal rights, and most importantly the future welfare and wellbeing of the unborn child.
"Fraudulent behaviour may be fuelled by financial pressures, as the cost of treatment is high and public resources are limited. A patient may use a false identity in an attempt to have access to public funding from which he or she would otherwise be precluded. Or there may be more personal reasons, such as a change of partner during treatment," Dr. Sabatini.
"A considerable length of time may pass between the couples referral from the family doctor and the start of treatment, or during the fertility investigations which are necessary before treatment can commence. During this time a relationship break-up may occur, and one partner may try to continue the treatment with a different subject", he said.
Or an individual or couple approaching the end of their reproductive biological options could use alternative routes to maximise the choice of parenthood. Sperm from a younger man could be substituted for an older one, for example, while maintaining the pretence that the older man will be the legal father.
Among the problems that could arise if identity fraud is practised, said Dr. Sabatini, is litigation between the IVF provider and the deceived partner who discovers the different genetic origins of the child. "As it is now clear that genetics play a large part in providing the blueprint for adulthood, it could also be potentially medically harmful for a person to have incorrect information about his genetic make-up," said Dr Sabatini.
The team intend to send the results of their research to clinics in the UK and in Europe. They will carry out a further survey in a year's time to see if changes in practice have occurred.
"We hope to sensitise professional bodies in the UK and abroad and encourage them to setup study groups to identify solutions and evaluate the clinical, economic, s
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