Baby Gammy and Gestational Surrogacy
By: Grant Kirsh
• David Farnell is a 22 times convicted sex offender
• Wendy & David Farnell hired a gestational surrogate in Thailand to carry their twins
• Gammy, their son, was born with Downs Syndrome
• The Farnells returned to Australia with their daughter but left Gammy in Australia with the gestational surrogate
• “No parent wants a son with a disability.” -David Farnell, 60 Minutes Interview
Gestational surrogacy is becoming a popular option for people looking to become parents. In the United States there are fewer states that recognize gestational surrogacy contracts than there are states that do recognize such contracts. Many people have instead decided to go abroad to find a country that is friendly to gestational surrogacy. Australian couple Wendy & David Farnell are an Australian couple who decided to do just that. They hired a gestational surrogate in Thailand to carry their child (which ended up being twins, as is typical with in vitro). When they found out that one of the twins had Downs Syndrome the gestational surrogate claims the Farnells asked her to abort that child. The Farnells deny these allegations. What happens next though would lead a reasonable person to not believe the Farnell denial. The twins were born and the Farnells returned to Australia with their daughter and left their son, Gammy, with Downs Syndrome, in Thailand with the gestational surrogate.
When the story broke last week the world of social media responded with bitter hatred for this Australian couple. They went into hiding for a few days and then surfaced on a 60 Minutes interview to explain their side of the story.
Here is the 60 Minutes Interview:
http://www.mako.org.au/temp_f.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/gammy-father-david-farnell-defends-article-1.1899348