The termination of a woman's pregnancy in the ninth week because of a suspicion that she may have been implanted with a fertilized egg from another woman at a Kagawa hospital points to incredible sloppiness on the part of the hospital and the doctor in charge. This case should serve as a reminder that the basic guidelines for in vitro fertilization (IVF) must be strictly followed.

The incident at the Kagawa Prefectural Central Hospital surfaced in mid-February after the woman and her husband filed a lawsuit against the hospital demanding ¥20 million in compensation for the psychological pain they suffered.

Surprisingly, patients' names were only written on seals attached to the lids of containers holding fertilized eggs at this hospital. No names were written on the containers themselves.