Newport/Costa Mesa/Irvine : NEWPORT BEACH : New Support Group to Aid Those Affected by UCI Clinic Scandal

A Corona couple who alleged their embryos and eggs were taken without their consent announced Tuesday the establishment of a support group for others who were affected by the UC Irvine fertility clinic scandal.

“We’re hoping to have dialogues between couples whose eggs were taken without their permission and parents who were unwitting recipients of those eggs,” John Challender said at a news conference in Newport Beach. John and Deborah Challender have alleged in a lawsuit that the embryos taken from them produced twins born to a Newport Beach couple.

Three doctors at the former UCI Center for Reproductive Health have been accused of misappropriating human eggs and embryos, pocketing patient fees owed to UCI Medical Center in Orange, fraudulently billing insurance companies and stonewalling subsequent investigations. The physicians, Ricardo H. Asch, Sergio C. Stone and Jose P. Balmaceda, have denied all charges.

The Challenders were joined Tuesday by Debra Krahel, the UCI Medical Center administrator who lodged the first allegation that embryos were being misappropriated, and Dr. Haig Musurlian, a psychologist who has worked with patients who encounter fertility problems.

“The purpose of the support group is to share the tragedy and disappointment,” Musurlian said. “We just want to start the healing process.”

Organizers said that initially, the support group will work with those inadvertent donors as well as recipients who were directly affected by the allegations against the fertility center. Eventually, Krahel said, the group hopes to “create a network so that we can support those patients in isolated areas in other parts of the country.”

For more information about the support group, call (714) 248-4399.