Fears of surrogacy ban after Australian couple deserts Thai surrogate mother of Down Syndrome baby [View all]
Surrogacy Australia says it is shocked and outraged that an Australian couple abandoned a baby in Thailand with his surrogate mother after he was found to have Down syndrome and a life-threatening heart condition.
Impoverished mother Pattaramon Chanbua has told the ABC she gave birth to twins after agreeing to be a surrogate with a promised payment of about $16,000.
The Western Australian couple rejected six-month-old Gammy and only took his healthy sister home with them, and Ms Chanbua says she cannot afford Gammy's medical treatment.
She has told the ABC she refused the couple's request to terminate the pregnancy because in Thai culture it was considered sinful.
The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is concerned by the reports and is consulting with Thai authorities.
In Australia, people from New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT are prohibited from entering a commercial surrogacy agreement overseas.
Rachel Kunde, the executive director of Surrogacy Australia, says the case is shocking.
"Someone's left a baby behind and separated it from its twin and pretty much just disregarded that it was their child, which is something that is just unfathomable for people to think about," she said.
She is worried about a knee-jerk reaction to the case could lead to an outright ban.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/24615055/fears-of-surrogacy-ban-after-australian-couple-deserts-thai-surrogate-mother-of-baby-with-down-syndrome/
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