Childhood sweethearts Adam and Kate Osborne have finally returned to Australia with their twin girls after being caught up in a Thai surrogacy nightmare.
The young couple from Kempsey in NSW couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces as they arrived at Port Macquarie Airport from Bangkok on Tuesday morning, carrying their precious cargo, daughters Sierra-Leone and Mali.
Born on July 22 to a Thai surrogate mother named May, the Osbornes spent their first month of parenthood sick with worry and stuck in a small Bangkok hotel room.
Just days before their adorable twin girls were born, commercial surrogacy was outlawed by the Thai government following backlash from the baby Gammy scandal.
For Adam, 40, and Kate, 35, who had been trying for years to conceive, this meant they couldn’t take their girls home without a court order, which they were told would cost them between $20,000 and $50,000 to obtain.
Related: Australian couple caught up in Thai surrogacy ‘horror story’
But in a desperate plea to get his family back on home soil safely, Adam took to social media to tell of their ordeal.
“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.
“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.”
Related: Gammy’s parents: ‘We didn’t abandon him’
But on Tuesday, Adam and Kate’s prayers were answered and the new parents were finally able to bring their daughters home, thanks to the generous donations of family and friends.
“It’s such a relief to finally be home,” Adam told those who were anxiously awaiting their arrival.
Adam and Kate spent $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.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
