A BUNBURY mother who successfully had a baby boy using a surrogate mother several years ago hopes the controversy over Thailand’s baby Gammy doesn’t deter others from becoming parents via surrogacy.
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Karen, whose name has been changed to protect the identity of her family, said she would hate to see law changes make it harder for parents such as herself bringing home a baby through overseas surrogacy.
Karen’s experience with a North American surrogate mother a couple of years ago resulted in a beautiful boy who is now enjoying life with his new family in the Bunbury community.
Her son is happy, healthy and has grown into a beautiful little boy. His birth was a ray of light after his parents tried for years with unsuccessful and costly IVF treatments.
She said the unfolding dramas over baby Gammy should sound as a warning to other prospective parents keen on surrogacy.
“This may have such a negative effect on the surrogacy option, and that would be a shame” Karen told the Bunbury Mail.
“I know a lot of other successful surrogate children who have been brought back to WA.
“We were so lucky after so many years unsuccessfully trying with IVF.
“Adoption was just so difficult. So we found an agency (and a mother) we felt we could trust.”
Karen said the legal and medical arrangements were expensive and time consuming. With visits to North America and other expenses, the entire process was very costly.
But she said the expense was well and truly worth it.
Karen also said the baby Gammy dramas should sound a salutary warning to prospective parents.
The South Bunbury parents at the centre of the controversy have been accused of abandoning a baby boy born in Thailand as part of the surrogacy arrangement.
The Thai surrogate mother of the abandoned baby Gammy says she will sue the couple who left their son behind, challenging the child's father to appear with her on television.
But the South Bunbury parents have denied abandoning Gammy. The ABC quoted the unidentified father as saying a Thai surrogacy clinic doctor only told him and his wife about their girl, and not a twin brother with Down syndrome.
“I don’t understand how it could have happened,” Karen said.
“Intended parents really have to do their research and choose an agency carefully.”
“Make sure you have good legal representation, do your homework, and do it properly.”
Karen said that for many prospective parents, surrogacy was the last resort.
“I would say to them, don’t give up hope of your dream to have children.”