Abandoned baby's surrogate mother a 'saint': Australia

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Abandoned baby's surrogate mother a 'saint': Australia

SYDNEY, August 4, 2014 (AFP) - The surrogate mother of a baby reportedly abandoned by his Australian parents in Thailand because he has Down Syndrome was a "saint" and "absolute hero", Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said Monday.

Seven-month-old Gammy is being raised by 21-year-old Thai woman Pattaramon Chanbua, who agreed to carry a child for an Australian couple for Aus$16,000 (US$14,900).

Reports said when the pregnancy developed into twins the couple, who have not been identified, took Gammy's healthy sister but not the baby boy, who also has a life-threatening heart condition.

"It is terrible, just absolutely horrible and heartbreaking," Morrison said of the case.

"But I have got to tell you who is an absolute hero in all of this and that is the Thai mother. She is a saint."

Pattaramon, who reportedly agreed to be the surrogate so she could afford education for her older children and pay back family debts, has spoken of her love for the boy.

But she has also admitted she cannot afford to pay for his medical expenses, prompting an outpouring of global goodwill which has raised more than Aus$200,000 online for an Australian charity to pay for the infant's care.

"The outpouring of support from Australians I think demonstrates in the best possible way about how I think Australians feel about this," Morrison said, speaking on radio station 2GB.

"We are taking a close look at what can be done here but I wouldn't want to raise any false hopes or expectations.
"Sure there are lots of Australians who are desperate to be parents, but that can never I think sanction what we have just seen here."

Surrogacy Australia president Sam Everingham said the case highlighted the need for better counselling of parents who were intending to engage in overseas surrogacy arrangements.

"You should never be putting in more than one embryo if you are not prepared to take twins," he told AFP.

He also urged couples to use credible surrogacy services overseas, saying it was not uncommon for foreign agencies to embezzle money, go bankrupt or make off with couples' life savings.

[afp]2014-08-04[/afp]

[DLock]

The money raised for the Mother and son is heartwarming and I hope it provides all the help that is needed for them.

 

Good luck to them.

[Thai at Heart]

Not being glib here, but couldn't the surrogate sue for child support in Australian court?

[RegularReader]

For once Scott Morrison is showing some well placed compassion.

Pity he can't show a similar concern for the refugees who are arriving by boat, who are either towed back or put in detention centres.

[jacky54]

Australians are so gullible it seems

[iReason]

"She is a saint."???

 

Hefty claim.

Qualifications must have changed...

[dddave]

Not being glib here, but couldn't the surrogate sue for child support in Australian court?

 

Probably possible if a court first appointed a legal guardian for the child.  The guardian could then sue whoever shared responsibility in the child's name.  Probably difficult for the surrogate to sue because she did accept compensation.

 

I was just reading about a complicated case in Massachusetts where a child had been so severely abused by step parents that she was put on on life support and permanently brain damaged.  This happened despite numerous reports to social service agencies that abuse was taking place.  They did nothing until it was to late.

 

Eventually, a guardian was able to sue the state and the private agencies that contracted to the state and win $5m for the victims lifetime support.

Edited August 4, 2014 by dddave

[NomadJoe]

"The surrogate mother of a baby reportedly abandoned by his Australian parents in Thailand because he has Down Syndrome was a "saint" and "absolute hero", Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said Monday."

"was" being the operative word.

[iReason]

From the Washington Post today...

"Pattaramon said she met the Australian couple once when the babies were born and knew only that they lived in Western Australia state."

Two days ago, in a report on this site Pattaramon claimed she never met them.

 

"Pattaramon, (21) who also has a 6-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, said she approached the surrogacy agency on Facebook early last year because she wanted money to pay off debts."

 

She was 15 when she had her first child.

BTW, where is the father of her children?

Where is he to help pay off their debts?

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/thai-surrogate-mom-not-upset-with-australia-couple/2014/08/03/b1d4a1e4-1b15-11e4-9b6c-12e30cbe86a3_story.html?hpid=z5

[Misterwhisper]

All compassion for the baby aside, please let's not go over-board with it and bestow ridiculous titles on the surrogate mother.

 

She loaned out her body for a - to her - hefty amount of money to carry out the child on behalf of someone else. It wasn't a selfless act, and hence, out the window flies the sainthood. 

 

And the fact that she decided against an abortion although it was known that the baby would be born with a serious genetic disease, doesn't make her a hero, either. In fact, she admitted that the decision was based on her religious beliefs, i.e. she was more concerned about heaping bad karma on herself than she was concerned with the potentially immoral act of terminating the unborn's life.

 

If there is any hero, the title surely must be a collective one and go to those Australians from all walks of life who pooled together for a medical treatment fund for the child. Money, I should add, the surrogate mother and her family are reportedly all too happy to accept. How much of it will eventually directly benefit the poor baby remains to be seen.

 

As per the "saint" issue, the minister might perhaps have stretched it a little by comparing the woman with another mother from his very own religious realm whom he believes to have acted as a surrogate carrying out a child on behalf of her god, who allegedly inseminated her with himself. Sorry for my sarcasm.  

[chainarong]

Scott Morrison is like all he's brigade of worn out Liberals, always trying to shoot the mouth off for attention, me thinks there is more to this subject than meets the eye, lets see what pans out , all is not what it appears and the conflicting stories are worth delving a little deeper from the media. 

[Boxclever]

"Saint" is going a bit too far bur "Hero" I agree with. Technically this is not her child, she was merely the incubator. She made the decision to foster the child long before there was media attention. You guys are far too rough on her. She honored her part of the bargain, it was the heartless biological parents that reneged. I hope she gets all the support she needs to raise this child, best of luck to her!

[twix38]

I am sure the better informed will put me right, but

 

The Thai lady was paid 400,000 Baht to be a surrogate. 

After finding out the baby had Downs Syndrome, the ozzie couple ask their employee (forgive the word, but the meaning is more paid-help) to have an abortion. She refuses due to religious grounds. 

 

In that case the Thai lady has chosen to take on the responsibility and she takes on the risk of looking after the baby that the ozzie couple plainly told her they wanted aborted and not forced on them OR what is the point of a Downs Syndrome test in the first place if not to give the choice to the parents to abort with this news. It is exactly the point of the test. Many other prospective parents DO abort quite commonly when told they will have a DS baby if they proceed to birth.

If the ozzie couple don't have control, why are they paying and if the Thai lady takes control and gives birth, then why should the ozzie couple be forced into a life many others chose not to have, when told the baby is a DS baby.

 

Frankly I view the Thai lady with scepticism and accept it is very unfortunate all round, but I would be equal in my thinking to the ozzies if I paid a considerable sum and was forced by the surrogate I was paying to have a DS baby to care for for life, after I (we) had the DS test done and requested an abortion. The Thai lady is making the decisions for the ozzies and getting paid by them and going to the press. I expect she is nothing of the sort, but as I mention, perhaps the better informed can put me right. Is she a money grabbing womb for sale to clear debts, who takes control of the situation and goes from employee to boss and PR guru OR a sweet, caring and religious soul who has deep convictions?

 

There is one big puzzle though, why on Earth wasn't the issue of abortion clarified up front and beforehand. Then there would be a clear party in the right or wrong because this situation would have been agreed upon and understood before any money was paid. For me if the Thai lady said she would abort or if it was not discussed then the Thai lady has chosen to take responsibility by her actions to go against the abortion wish for good reasons (DS) of the Ozzie's who are paying for her services. 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2014 by twix38

[HughJass]

best thing that ever happened to her shes going to be rich

[kamahele]

I can't actually believe that people on Thai Visa are actually denigrating the Thai girl that brought this baby to term and cared for it even though it was not her own. Denigrating her, her religion, her decision to try to make a better life for her own two children by taking money to be a surrogate. Jesus! What is wrong with you people? Don't answer that. I don't want to know what makes certain people so cynical and mean spirited.

[Gonki]

Morrison said of the case. [...] " She is a saint."

 

 

Australia would have her in the house as a guest.

[sanuk711]

Abandoned baby's surrogate mother a 'saint'-------Australia

 

.

Wow  ....Beatification for khun Pattaramon, I guess she can now take her place next to Mother Teresa & other such notables that got lucky while trying to sell their kids off...........................

[MK1]

The problem in this circumstance is that the agency who provided the surrogacy services in the first place perhaps didn’t screen the surrogate mother correctly by conducting genealogy blood & DNA checks to assure the Australian couple that the risk of the mother giving birth to a child with a severe intellectual disability would be minimal.

Take one look at the surrogate mother in this case and you’ll understand why. We all know that nepotism and the offspring that carries the down-syndrome gene can go back generations. So why didn’t someone provide an assurance that this wouldn’t happen? The answer is; exploitation of the poor by fly by night surrogate agency’s which is why the industry needs to be highly-regulated in this regard.

Edited August 4, 2014 by MK1

[Prbkk]

Scott Morrison is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier but the woman does deserve praise.

[Yann55]

Quote : "The outpouring of support from Australians I think demonstrates in the best possible way about how I think Australians feel about this," Morrison said, speaking on radio station 2GB.

 

 

Guilty. They feel guilty. And with reason. Western infertile couples use third-world countries massively in order to fulfill their need for children. It's all over the place and everybody knows it's happening. So when a story likes this comes out, there's a general sense of guilt, which people try to overcome by handing out money. Kind of the Western equivalent of bribing the police or the judge here, except we're bribing our conscience.

 

Edited August 4, 2014 by Yann55

[orosee]

I can't actually believe that people on Thai Visa are actually denigrating the Thai girl that brought this baby to term and cared for it even though it was not her own. Denigrating her, her religion, her decision to try to make a better life for her own two children by taking money to be a surrogate. Jesus! What is wrong with you people? Don't answer that. I don't want to know what makes certain people so cynical and mean spirited.

On ThaiVisa, she's guilty of the two most heinous crimes:

Being Thai and
Being a woman.

You don't need to follow this topic to learn that 😬

[Yann55]

Abandoned baby's surrogate mother a 'saint'-------Australia

 

.

Wow  ....Beatification for khun Pattaramon, I guess she can now take her place next to Mother Teresa & other such notables that got lucky while trying to sell their kids off...........................

 

 

Yep... The making of Saints is a very interesting issue and it tells more about the society that sanctifies than about the sanctified person him/herself.

 

With regard to Mother Teresa who was - and still is - regarded by almost everyone in the West as one of the greatest saints of the XXth century, I strongly recommend a book by Dr Aroup Chaterjee called 'Mother Teresa, the Final Verdict'.

 

It is a remarkably thorough and honest investigation. Now, because it deals with an untouchable myth, it is so politically incorrect in the West that the author could not find any major publisher willing to take the risk, so it was published in India but can be found on Amazon :

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: Meteor Books, India (December 20, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 8188248002
• ISBN-13: 978-8188248001

[DaptoDog]

I can't actually believe that people on Thai Visa are actually denigrating the Thai girl that brought this baby to term and cared for it even though it was not her own. Denigrating her, her religion, her decision to try to make a better life for her own two children by taking money to be a surrogate. Jesus! What is wrong with you people? Don't answer that. I don't want to know what makes certain people so cynical and mean spirited.

 

Believe it - unfortunately Thailand attracts more than it's fair share of western scum - Thai Visa then allows these dregs of society to spit their venom & bile against all things Thai.

[kannot]

What a crock, saint my arse, she did it for money theyre all to blame, there was a time when  it could  have been aborted and that would have been the most sensible course of action, as is often the case "sensible" and "religions"  dont go together

[kannot]

 

Abandoned baby's surrogate mother a 'saint'-------Australia

 

.

Wow  ....Beatification for khun Pattaramon, I guess she can now take her place next to Mother Teresa & other such notables that got lucky while trying to sell their kids off...........................

 

 

Yep... The making of Saints is a very interesting issue and it tells more about the society that sanctifies than about the sanctified person him/herself.

 

With regard to Mother Teresa who was - and still is - regarded by almost everyone in the West as one of the greatest saints of the XXth century, I strongly recommend a book by Dr Aroup Chaterjee called 'Mother Teresa, the Final Verdict'.

 

It is a remarkably thorough and honest investigation. Now, because it deals with an untouchable myth, it is so politically incorrect in the West that the author could not find any major publisher willing to take the risk, so it was published in India but can be found on Amazon :

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: Meteor Books, India (December 20, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 8188248002
• ISBN-13: 978-8188248001

 

Christopher Hitchens  didnt think she was a "saint" either and id  agree with him on that.

[belg]

she did it for money, no saint

 

she did not do the abortion and prefers to bring in a sick child that will never be able to support itself

 

she now won much money

 

she can still choose to give minimal care and get the $200.000 dollar and build a nice house, buy car, lux items for the rest of her life

 

 

saint ?

 

 

[colinthailand20005]

What a crock, saint my arse, she did it for money theyre all to blame, there was a time when  it could  have been aborted and that would have been the most sensible course of action, as is often the case "sensible" and "religions"  dont go together

I agree with this, all are to blame. Who knows what was discussed prior to her becoming pregnant, we will probably never know the truth.

She is just shouting because she made the wrong decision and wants more money. Sadly the child will suffer because of it.

[twix38]

it's amazing that some can't see anything other than sainthood.

 

There's some scum out there for sure and it's a thick scum.

 

Did it for money and brought a nightmare to the ozzie's door by insisting not only to bring a DS baby into the world when they had the right to ask to be aborted as a surrogate and in the circumstances and did so. The Thai lady surely has to take responsibility if she insists on giving birth knowing what the situation is. Responsibility goes with decisions made, and action taken. She took on the responsibility. 

 

This changes the discussion as just now reported that the Ozzie dad said they were never told of the DS baby and simply did not know, which directly contradicts the Thai ladies story. You bet I expect this will play out much better for the ozzies when the truth is known.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2014 by twix38

[twix38]

it's amazing that some can't see anything other than sainthood.

 

There's some scum out there for sure and it's a thick scum.

 

Did it for money and brought a nightmare to the ozzie's door by insisting not only to bring a DS baby into the world when they had the right to ask to be aborted as a surrogate and in the circumstances and did so. The Thai lady surely has to take responsibility if she insists on giving birth knowing what the situation is. Responsibility goes with decisions made, and action taken. She took on the responsibility. 

 

Just now reported that the Ozzie dad said they were never told of the DS baby and simply did not know, which directly contradicts the Thai ladies story in so many aspects. Ooops, you bet I expect this will play out much better for the ozzies when the truth is known.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2014 by twix38

[Time Traveller]

she did it for money, no saint

 

she did not do the abortion and prefers to bring in a sick child that will never be able to support itself

 

she now won much money

 

she can still choose to give minimal care and get the $200.000 dollar and build a nice house, buy car, lux items for the rest of her life

 

 

 

 

 

It seems the $200k is not enough, now she plans on suing the Aussie parents

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/10344134/Surrogate-mother-threatens-to-sue-Australian-parents

 

Wonder how much she is making from the TV interviews?