A couple who wanted a girl sues the clinic after receiving a boy
The baby turned out to be a boy in a lawsuit filed by a couple who claims they were promised a girl by a reproductive clinic.
According to the New York Post, after completing reproductive treatments, Robin (Robbie) Routenberg-Wilhelm and Heather Wilhelm-Routenberg expressed a desire to have a daughter.
Despite their joy, the couple was heartbroken when they found out they were expecting a son. They have now filed a lawsuit against the fertility clinic, alleging that Heather “broke down” following the birth of her baby and went into a “dark depression” after learning she was pregnant.
CNY Fertility Clinic in Latham, New York, promised the couple that they could precisely discern the gender of an embryo before placing it into Heather’s womb, according to the pair. The Buffalo couple was shocked to find they were having a boy at 15 weeks pregnant.
Heather explains how Robbie’s sperm and egg were mixed to make the embryo in her explanation. The embryo was then implanted into her uterus.
“We selected CNY because they agreed we would be able to select female embryos,” she recalled, before explaining that: “We didn’t want to have a boy because of the assaults and because of the socialization of boys — there’s constant socialization of what it means to be a ‘real man.’ People say, ‘Oh, he’s a boy, let him hit you,’ and all the camouflage and guns don’t help. It reinforces masculinity, and that’s a reminder of the assaults every time.”
“We did not sign up for that,” she said, adding that while she did not have Heather’s trauma to deal with, she did not want a son because of enforced masculinity.
The couple thought the embryo had been lost when they discovered Heather was indeed pregnant with a baby boy. Heather explained, “That’s when I flipped out,” adding, “That’s when I felt my body was taken hostage.”
“We didn’t want to have a boy because of the assaults and because of the socialization of boys — there’s constant socialization of what it means to be a ‘real man,’” Heather told Klein. “People say, ‘Oh, he’s a boy, let him hit you,’ and all the camouflage and guns don’t help. It reinforces masculinity, and that’s a reminder of the assaults every time.”
They’ve grown to love their son as any other parent would. They still believe, though, that the fertility clinic stole their original connection.
“He’s an innocent being, he didn’t deserve any of this. The clinic messed with something so integral: our baby’s first formative years. That’s the reason I am doing this — because I love my kid so much. We think our son deserved that bond from the start,” added Heather.
