THE PARENTS of a teenage boy born with cystic fibrosis (CF) have secured €225,000 in settlement of their High Court action over the alleged failure of a DNA test, carried out before the woman became pregnant with the boy, to establish if the father was a carrier of the cystic fibrosis gene.
The woman was already a carrier of the gene. If they had been aware the man was also a carrier of the CF gene, the couple, who have three children, said they would not have proceeded to have another child.
However, they stressed they love their son Mark deeply.
James and Carmel Cahill, Ballycasheen, Killarney, Co Kerry, said they were aware, from a test carried out in March 1991 before Ms Cahill became pregnant with their third child, that she was a carrier of the CF gene, having had a brother who suffered with CF and died in February 1991.
They claimed a blood sample taken from Mr Cahill in 1994 was tested and he was provided with a certificate saying he did not carry any of the common cystic fibrosis mutations found in the British Caucasian population.
They claimed he was told his residual risk of being a carrier of some other rare CF mutation was about 1 in 160 assuming he had no family history of CF and was of British Caucasian origin.
They claimed they were told their risk of of having a child with CF was therefore about one in 960 as Ms Cahill’s risk was two in three. The Cahills sued the JS Pathology plc, Jamestown Road, London, which provides a blood-testing service.