The pregnant mother who was implanted with the wrong embryo in an IVF mixup has given birth to a daughter after an extended stay at the hospital.
"This morning, in an auspicious time, the baby girl who has recently been the subject of the public's discussion was born. The mother and infant are doing well, and the infant is undergoing a series of tests," Sheba Medical Center said in a statement.
Earlier this week, the mother told Channel 12 News, "We are already the parents, the baby chose us. That's it. This is my daughter and I am not giving her to anyone."
The birth follows a difficult pregnancy which included the discovery of a serious heart defect in the infant, along with a complicated surgery which risked the life of the mother but successfully saved the daughter's life.
Genetic testing performed with the intention of clarifying the infant's health issues led to the discovery that the infant is not the genetic offspring of her parents, opening a Pandora's box which led to genetic testing of another couple presumed to be the child's genetic parents. Earlier this week, the results of the genetic testing - which the court ordered despite the pregnant mother's opposition to it - showed that the second couple is not related to the child.
Thus far, Assuta Hospital, where the IVF treatments were performed, has continued its efforts to locate the genetic parents but has not yet tested additional couples.
Meanwhile, attorneys for the new parents have requested that the court call a halt to the search for the child's genetic parents, and declare the birth parents to be the child's legal parents. The court, for its part, on Tuesday canceled the State's request to appoint a guardian for the child following its birth, paving the way for the parents to register the infant as their legal child.