NSW couple Adam and Kate Osborne are desperately trying to bring their twins back to Australia after being caught up in a Thai surrogacy ‘horror story’.
The couple, from Kempsey on the mid North Coast, have called on the Australian public to help them return with their biological twin girls Mali and Sierra-Leone, born on July 22.
Days before their daughters were born, commercial surrogacy was outlawed by the Thai government. The immediate change comes after the surrogacy controversy caused by the much publicised story of baby Gammy, who was ‘abandoned’ by his parents and left to be raised by his Thai surrogate mother.
The Osbornes are now “nervous and scared” as they wait for news on returning home with their daughters.
“As you all know, our twin girls have all their relevant paperwork (Australian citizenship, Australian passports), so why don’t we all just go to the airport and fly home?” Adam posted on Facebook.
“If any of you don’t know, the Thailand government has been overthrown and now the Thailand army are running the country.
“This means any laws they want to change, or any new law they want to make, can be done instantly without legislation, and effective immediately.”
The Osbornes are being forced to live in a tiny motel room in Bangkok until the issue is resolved.
To get their twins home safely, they require a court order, which can take up to six months to obtain and will likely cost them between $20,000 and $50,000.
“The army has cracked down on commercial surrogacy, which is the road we took in order to have a family,” Adam continued.
“Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia. In Thailand the laws say that the birth mother of any baby born in Thailand is the legal mother, guardian, parent of that child, NO MATTER WHAT.
“Before the Thai army cracked down on commercial surrogacy (22/7/2014), the twins’ birthday, you could just leave the country without anyone batting an eyelid with your new family. Now it’s a different story. Now it’s considered ‘human trafficking’ because they see it as though we are stealing someone’s children.”
Since their daughters were born, the Thai surrogacy clinic chosen by the couple has been raided and was closed down.
Adam and Kate, who are childhood sweethearts, have been trying to start a family for six years.
They say they have spent around $100,000 on IVF in Australia, Africa and Thailand. Thailand was the couple’s last hope of having children, after Kate suffered a miscarriage while five weeks pregnant following IVF treatment in Australia.
Friends and family of the pair have set up a Go Fund Me account where people can donate to help bring them home.
“They are in a tiny motel room with two newborns and money is running out fast,” says Jen Farrell, who set up the fund. “Help us to keep Kate and Adam with their babies while they battle to bring the twins back to Australia with them.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
