Ohio - A white lesbian had a mixed-race daughter after she was artificially inseminated with a black man’s sperm by mistake.
Jennifer Cramblett stipulated she wanted the sperm of a white, blond-haired, blue-eyed donor labelled No 380.
But she was sent vials from No 330 - an African American - after an employee misread the handwritten number.
Although Miss Cramblett, 37, and her partner Amanda Zinkon, 30, love Payton, now three, she is suing the sperm bank over the mix-up.
They live in a predominantly white community and fear the mixed-race girl may grow up an outcast.
Miss Cramblett says the mistake, which she discovered while pregnant with Payton, has caused stress, pain and suffering.
She admits that due to her upbringing she had stereotypical attitudes about black people.
Her lawsuit says: “Getting a young daughter’s hair cut is not particularly stressful for most mothers, but to Jennifer it is not a routine matter, because Payton has hair typical of an African American girl. To get a decent cut, Jennifer must travel to a black neighbourhood, where she is obviously different in appearance, and not overtly welcome.”
Miss Cramblett said she grew up in predominantly white town and didn’t meet a black person until she attended university.
She and her partner live in the mainly white Uniontown, Ohio, and fear Payton will be the only non-white child in class at school.
They had specifically picked a blond-haired, blue-eyed donor so that the baby would look like Miss Zinkon.
When Miss Cramblett ordered the sperm by phone from the Midwest Sperm Bank in Illinois in September 2011 she was asked to verify that she wanted donor No 330.
“Jennifer corrected the receptionist, pointing out that she was ordering sperm from donor No 380,” the lawsuit says.
In December 2011, she was inseminated at a clinic in Ohio and on Christmas Eve found out she was pregnant.
Anxious to plan another child from the same donor, she contacted the sperm bank again.
The receptionist consulted her file and asked her if she wanted sperm from donor No 330.
When Miss Cramblett said she wanted No 380, she was asked if she had requested an African American donor to which she replied: “No, why would I request that? My partner and I are Caucasian.”
She was then told the clinic where she had been inseminated had been sent vials from donor No 330.
A distressed Miss Cramblett immediately called her doctor.
“Jennifer was crying, confused and upset,” the lawsuit says.
“All of the thought, care and planning that she and Amanda had undertaken to control their baby’s parentage had been rendered meaningless. In an instant. Jennifer’s excitement and anticipation of her pregnancy was replaced with anger, disappointment and fear.”
Miss Cramblett claims she was worried her family might not accept an African American child.
The sperm bank sent Miss Cramblett an apology note and a refund.
Miss Cramblett told NBC News: “I am happy that I have a healthy child but I’m not going to let them get away with not being held accountable.
“You can’t just go, ‘Well you got a baby so you should be happy’.”
Her claim for damages for wrongful birth and breach of warranty was thrown out by a judge last week but she has been told to re-submit her claim on the grounds of negligence and will return to court in December.
Daily Mail