An Australian couple had twins via a Thai surrogate, took the healthy baby home and abandoned the twin born with Down’s syndrome.
The couple sought out a surrogate from a different country because commercial surrogacy is outlawed in Australia. 21-year-old Pattaramon Chanbua agreed to be an unnamed couple’s surrogate, and for months after being impregnated via IVF she found out she was having twins. The couple agreed to pay more money in light of this news, but a month later when it was revealed that the baby boy had Down’s syndrome, they asked Pattaramon to have an abortion.
“They told me to have an abortion but I didn’t agree because I am afraid of sin,” Mrs. Pattharamon, a Buddhist, told Fairfax Media. When she gave birth to both babies at a surrogacy center, the Australian couple, whom she never met, took the healthy girl twin home with them. Pattaramon, who is a married mom of two, was left to care for baby Hammy, who was also born with a heart condition. “Why does he have to be abandoned while the other baby (his twin) has it easy?,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
As news of this terrible situation spread through Thailand and internationally, a fund was set up to help Pattaramon care for baby Hammy and pay for the health care he needs for his heart condition. The Hope For Gammy campaign has so far raised $177,000 for his medical costs.
