Baby with Down's syndrome left in Thailand by Australian parents

Well-wishers have raised nearly $100,000 (£59,000) for a baby reportedly left with his surrogate Thai mother after his Australian parents discovered he had Down's syndrome and returned home with his healthy twin sister.

Pattaramon Chanbua from Chonburi province, south-east of Bangkok, agreed via an agent to be a surrogate for the couple for a fee of Aus$16,000 (£8,850), giving birth to twins – a boy and a girl – in December.

But when the Australians discovered the boy, named Gammy by his surrogate family, had Down's Syndrome they abandoned him in Thailand and returned to Australia with only the girl, Australia's ABC said.

"The money that was offered was a lot for me. In my mind, with that money, one, we can educate my children, two, we can repay our debt," said Pattaramon, already a mother to two children, in an interview with the broadcaster in Chonburi.

But instead the 21-year-old was left to care for the boy, who also has a life-threatening heart condition requiring expensive treatment she cannot afford.

"I don't know what to do. I chose to have him ... I love him, he was in my tummy for nine months," she said.

Pattaramon has never met Gammy's Australian parents, according to Thai newspaper Thairath, which broke the story of Gammy last week, and their identities remain unknown.

"They [the surrogacy agency] told me to carry a baby for a family that does not have children ... They said it would be a baby in a tube," she said.

The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, said, based on media reports, "it's an incredibly sad story".
"I guess it illustrates some of the pitfalls involved in this particular [surrogacy] business," he told reporters on Saturday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is concerned by the report, which a spokeswoman said raised the broader issues of surrogacy in Thailand. "Australian government agencies are examining these issues in consultation with authorities in Thailand."

Abbott said he was yet to be briefed on the matter but added he would look at "what might be possible" to help the boy.

Many foreign couples travel to Thailand, a popular medical tourism hub, to use its in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) services despite the unclear legal situation surrounding surrogacy. Tares Krassanairawiwong, a Thai public health ministry official, said it was illegal to pay for surrogacy in Thailand.

"Surrogacy can be done in Thailand but it has to comply with the laws... A surrogate has to be related to the intended parents and no money can be involved."

The reports about Gammy's abandonment have triggered hundreds to donate to a fundraising page created for him last week.

By late Friday the "Hope for Gammy" page had raised more than $98,000. It also carried scores of comments, many of which expressed outrage at the boy's abandonment by his parents.

"May this selfish and heartless couple be exposed and shamed for this horrible neglect!" said one.

veya_victaous wrote:Thai mother is likely to be charged with Child Traffic-calming It is ILLEGAL to sell children which she did...

this really just highlights the shittyness of the world.

http://www.news.com.au/national/gammys-surrogate-mum-faces-charges-as-australian-parents-break-silence/story-e6frfkp9-1227013652057

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/gammys-thai-surrogate-mum-wants-healthy-twin-sister-back/story-fnet08xa-1227014573531

Lone Wolf wrote:
  Wed,  1:00 p.m. (Newspaper and radio news..) : 

THERE are further crimes afoot, that may eventually overtake the biological mother's comparatively minor misdeeds ~

* The children's biological father has done jail time for child bashing and endangerment in his dim, dark past - so now we know why the parents didn't want to try adopting in Oz;

* The Thai' hospital and the baby broker agency have both relased records, that show that the adoptive mother has been lying through her teeth over the last few days - further weakening her own case;

* The adoptive parents had "lawyered up" over the weekend ~ the above points clearly showing why; and at the same time they were being cagey with journalists over the weekend..

Evening TV News (about 2+ hours ago..) :

* Western Australia's child protection agency attempted to interview the adoptive couple last night ~ but they weren't home, apparently having done a 'midnight flit' on Monday;

* Which now means that they have come to the attention of both State and Federal police over here !

* Meanwhile, back in Thailand ~ the 'Baby broker' has been changing her story each day, obviously not helping the adopting agency's position..

SO, with so much international attention via the internet and media groups, money being raised to help the babies, and a couple of children's charities in Thailand being involved ~ I wouldn't be surprised now if the Thai' gov't concentrates their attention onto the Baby broking business, and the adoptive parents; and goes quite with respect to the birth mother ~ in order to save some hassle and potential embarrassment later ?