Gay Couple 'Devastated' After Allegedly Botched IVF Results in Babies of Different Races

A gay couple in London is reportedly "devastated" after an alleged in vitro fertilization mix-up left them with two children from different racial backgrounds, NewsCore reported.

The couple said the allegedly botched treatment only came to light recently after their second child was born; they had wanted to use the same sperm donor again so their children would be genetically related.

"The damage to the [younger] child in the future, to both the siblings and the family unit could be quite catastrophic," said Caron Heyes, the couple's lawyer.

The U.K.'s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is investigating the London Women's Clinic, where the mistake is alleged to have taken place.

"Our primary concern is for the patients involved and their confidentiality," an agency spokeswoman told London's Sunday Times, according to the Daily Mail. "They are understandably very distressed about the incident and the fact that it has become public knowledge."

Dr. Kamal Ajuja, the clinic's head, has reportedly hired an independent expert to look into what happened but would not comment on the ongoing investigation.

Clinic lawyers said the chances of a donor sperm mix-up are less than 0.02 percent, according to the Daily Mail.

Still, mistakes are not unheard of: According to NewsCore, a white couple unsuccessfully sued in 2010 after having a black child from the wrong donor sperm. A 2002 case involving a white couple resulted in mixed-race twins after an Asian man's sperm was mistakenly used.

"All we wanted was a family. Instead, we were landed with a nightmare that will last forever," the woman later said.

Approximately 13,000 babies were born in the U.K. in 2009 as a result of IVF treatment, according to the HFEA.