Australian couple abandon surrogate twin with Down's syndrome in Thailand

[PrimeSuspect]

David and Wendy Farnell were married in 2004 in Jianjiang
They met through matchmaking agency after Farnell's first marriage ended
He was jailed in late 1990s for sexually molesting two girls under age of 10
In 1998 he was charged with six counts of indecently dealing with a child under the age of 13 and was convicted and sentenced again

Farnell obtained a child via a surrogate mother in Thailand despite being a convicted child sex offender because there are no laws to stop him in his home state of Western Australia.

To make matters worse, it has been reported by Channel Nine that the WA-based mother used her married name on Gammy's birth certificate but her maiden name on her baby daughter's documents.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-surrogate-babies-overseas.html#ixzz39aLBcvqK

Whose idea was that I wonder??!!!

 

[Ausgirl]

To make matters worse, it has been reported by Channel Nine that the WA-based mother used her married name on Gammy's birth certificate but her maiden name on her baby daughter's documents.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-surrogate-babies-overseas.html#ixzz39aLBcvqK

Dodgier all the time.. I wonder if that was to circumvent any background checks, if indeed any were done at all.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

This whole story makes me :stormingmad:

 

[Amee]

POLICE will be called in to hunt for the biological Bunbury parents of baby Gammy if they do not contact child welfare officers soon.

This morning, a department spokesman said attempts to contact the couple through family and friends, their lawyer and by mobile phone had also proven futile.

“Absolutely, we’re trying every means available to get in touch with them,” a DCP spokesman said

If attempts to contact the couple continued to be unsuccessful, WA Police would be called in to help track them down, the spokesman said.

The Bunbury couple could also be in hot water with the RSPCA over claims they have neglected their dog.

PerthNow understands the RSPCA has been contacted by a concerned community member who feared the couple’s pet dog had not been fed for up to three days and could be starving.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wes...-bunbury-parents/story-fnhocxo3-1227015383108

OMG :furious:

 

[Mrs G Norris]

So they've gone on the run?? Wow .. What .. hang on the RSPCA are involved now??? This story is crazy, what next ..

 

[Amee]

The whereabouts of the couple and their baby daughter, baby Gammy’s twin sister, is unknown.

The department is expected to issue a statement sometime Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/gamm...wa-parents-20140806-1010uc.html#ixzz39aTzOEAp

 

[Amee]

She says her doctors, the surrogacy agency and the baby's parents all knew he was disabled four months into the pregnancy, but did not inform her until the seventh month when the agency asked her - at the parents' request - to abort the disabled foetus.

She told the ABC she refused the couple's request to terminate the pregnancy because in Thai culture it was considered sinful, but she could not afford Gammy's medical treatment.

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2014-...aw-baby-in-hospital/5647440?pfm=sm&section=nt

Asking to abort at 7 months doesnt make sense to me considering the babies were born 2 months premmie

I wonder when the whole truth will be revealed if it is at all....

 

[Ausgirl]

So they've gone on the run?? Wow .. What .. hang on the RSPCA are involved now??? This story is crazy, what next ..

It's just getting epic, isn't it?

It'd be funny, if it wasn't for the fact innocent kids - and a convicted pedo - were involved.

I hope their daughter's alright....

 

[Brightbird]

I'm worried child protection services will stuff this up because it happens all the time that pedophiles have kids / have shared access to kids / move in with women with kids etc .. sadly.

This is my worry too. If the law doesn't prevent overseas surrogacy in WA, and the law doesn't stop pedophiles from living with their future children, then what's to stop the bio parents from keeping the baby girl? I guess there's lots more to it, legally speaking. I hope some top lawyers are willing to take this on for the baby girl's sake. I just noticed in one of the articles above that the father has three children, and was convicted of sex offences against three children. Makes you think.

 

[Amee]

Baby Gammy's Australian parents have been away from their home for so long that the RSPCA and local rangers moved in yesterday to remove their pet dog.

At around 2.30pm local time, officers arrived at the home in Bunbury, Western Australia, and led the golden-coloured animal off the driveway and into a waiting van.

THE SURROGACY PROCESS IN AUSTRALIA VS THAILAND

Commercial surrogacy is banned in Australia and it is illegal for people living in Queensland, NSW and the ACT to undertake commercial surrogacy in Thailand. It's also illegal for Australians to select a baby's sex.

Current Australian Medicare policy forbids Medicare rebates for IVF use for surrogacy and to receive surrogacy as a treatment option in Australia the following conditions must be fulfilled:

The intending parent has a defined medical disorder that makes it impossible or unacceptably dangerous to carry a baby in her uterus.
The surrogate is older than 25, and younger than the age of natural menopause (52 years of age). This may be increased slightly to 55 in the unique situation of a surrogate who is the mother or mother-in-law of the intending parent.
The surrogate must have already given birth to a healthy child of her own.
The surrogate does not have a past history of pregnancy-related illnesses or complications.
The surrogate has had an established relationship with the intending parents for at least two years by the time of the embryo transfer.
Neither the surrogate or intending parents suffer from a significant psychiatric disorder that would impair decision-making or the care of the child.

Many Australians have flocked to Thailand over the years because the rules were far less strict. However, the rules have changed this week.

After Thailand’s military government reviewed 12 Thai IVF clinics involved in surrogacy cases they have announced new laws.

Surrogacy is now only recognised in Thailand if:

The intended parents are a heterosexual married couple who are medically infertile.
The surrogacy is altruistic.
The surrogate is a blood relative.

Surrogacy in Thailand is illegal if:

The intended parent or parents are unmarried under Thai law (i.e. de facto couples, same sex couples and singles are excluded).
Any money is paid to the surrogate.
The removal of the child from Thailand without permission of Thai authorities will breach Thailand's human trafficking laws.

These new laws will now exclude almost every Australian from pursuing surrogacy in Thailand

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ammy-met-Chinese-mail-order-bride-agency.html

 

[Brightbird]

And it gets worse. Channel 9 news is now reporting that (according to the surrogacy agency) the parents were willing to take Gammy home, but the surrogate mother didn't want to give him up. As if.

 

[Amee]

Bangkok: Thai authorities have raided a Bangkok clinic linked to the baby Gammy scandal, as the Thai agent who brokered the surrogacy agreement said there was “confusion” when it became known the boy had Down syndrome.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/surroga...over-gammy-20140806-1013g8.html#ixzz39arTgLFn

 

[Mrs G Norris]

What's that .. story number 5? So over everyone except the surrogate mum in this case, who seems like the only person involved with a brain in her head.

The dog looks kind of obese .. no wonder he was looking for a meal: http://www.news.com.au/national/wa-...ological-parents/story-fncynjr2-1227015409479 Just kidding .. but yeah, these two should not be in charge of live things .. OK maybe plants .. but anything above that, bad idea IMO.

 

[they'll get you]

Anyone remember this?

Australian man jailed for 40 years in US after trafficking adopted son to global paedophile ring

An Australian man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison in the United States for trafficking his adopted son to a global paedophile network.

The 42-year-old man was arrested in California last year and was found to be part of a global paedophile ring.

Police say the man and his partner travelled the world with the child, allowing at least eight men in several different countries, including Australia, the US, Germany and France, to molest the boy when he was aged between just two and six years old.

The child abuse was so horrific the judge refused to put the case to a jury.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-29/man-jailed-trafficking-adopted-son-paedophile-ring/4789730

 

[Mrs G Norris]

^^ yes .. exactly right??

 

[Supernovae]

It has been suggested the egg may have come from yet another mother.

I must say, he didn't look to me to be half Chinese.

 

[Supernovae]

Children with Down syndrome often have heart defects. Maybe first clinic just assumed he had a heart defect? Both the bio parents and a surrogate at least agree they were told he had a heart defect, so it doesn't sound like something either one made up.

As another poster has alluded to, some holes in the heart, depending on the size and location, can heal on their own without surgery.

 

[Elley Mae]

It has been reported that the department will engage the help of WA Police to find the parents if their attempts continue to be unsuccessful, however the department has told the Bunbury Mail that this not accurate.

A DCP spokesman said the only statement to media was made last night by acting director general Emma White.

"In relation to the WA surrogate child featured in the media recently, the Department for Child Protection and Family Support has today commenced an assessment of the safety and wellbeing of the child," Ms White said.

http://www.bunburymail.com.au/story...e-amid-fears-for-its-wellbeing-photos/?cs=278

 

[Meryl12]

The media are camped outside the parents home in Bunbury, Western Australia. They cannot get into or out of their own home. The media have been there for about three days and say there has been no sign of the parents being home.
Child protection have called with no result, the media have been watching the family dog, as there has no sign of the family for three days they called the RSPCA who came and took away the dog.
They are going to have to face up sooner or later, the longer they leave it the worse it gets, also the longer they leave it the more international media are gathering, it is starting to look like a circus.
I don't really feel sorry for them, it is situation of their own making.

 

[MsFacetious]

I hope MsFacetious doesn't stumble into this thread. Her head will explode. :facepalm:

I was here from day one Katydid. Just didn't really feel I had anything helpful to offer.
I know better than to argue with people on the internet about my daughter's worth. They don't listen. :twocents:

I think it's probably a sad commentary on our world... that this thread doesn't make my head explode.
It doesn't even raise my blood pressure. (Though it did confirm that my use of the ignore list is a good thing.)
I've heard it all, much of it has been said directly to my face. It just simply doesn't even phase me anymore.

There was a twin abandoned at birth right here in the USA because she had Down syndrome.
This is simply not the first time it has happened and it will not be the last. :twocents:

For those unaware... I am the extremely proud and blessed Mom of an 11 year old girl with Down syndrome.
I have not regretted for one second my decision to let her live and raise her. She is absolutely amazing. :loveyou:

I believe when I have children that I take what I get. I love them and care for them to the best of my ability.
I was 18 when my daughter was born. In no way "capable" of caring for a child with special needs.
However, she was my baby girl. I vowed that day to protect her and care for her. I have done that.
I learn what I need to know, do what I need to do and it's been an amazing and successful journey.

Gammy's surrogate mother is in for an amazing journey with this precious little boy.
She is a very lucky young lady who will never regret her choice.
I can't say the same thing about others. :twocents:

I no longer get angry at people who believe I should have aborted my daughter.
I have nothing but pity for them. They just have absolutely no idea what they are missing out on.
It makes me sad that there are so many people in the world who don't have an Ali in their lives. :twocents:

I know there are people that think my daughter is defective, I can tell by the way they look at her.
I have learned to distinguish between "She is so cute" stares and "Doesn't she know how to prevent that" stares.
My daughter? Ali would love them both equally. So I try my best to follow her example. :seeya: