A woman from Mahbubnagar, who agreed to become a surrogate for a cost, has now been left to fend for the newborn as the commissioning parents have abandoned her after they came to know that she was carrying a female child.
The woman’s estranged husband has set off concerns about pre-natal sex determination in the State as he has alleged the commissioning parents abandoned his wife in the eighth month of her pregnancy. While the matter has not been recognised as a criminal offence yet by the State, it has raised uncomfortable questions at a time when Telangana is grappled with the issue of regulating surrogacy. “The commissioning couple got my wife to carrying their child at a Hyderabad hospital. They were taking care of her till the eighth month. After that, she was left to fend for herself. I got her to the hospital for delivery,” the woman’s husband Ramesh (name changed), said.
The woman gave birth at a government hospital about a week ago. The child developed complications during birth and had to be moved to another facility. The woman’s sister is caring for the child while she remains without a relative by her side at the hospital.
“I was asked to leave the hospital as I told the media that I am willing to care for the child and also informed about how the biological parents treated my wife, That apart, our identification has brought us infamy,” he said.
After the matter came to light on Monday, the hospital administration cut off access to the surrogate to protect her identity. A senior official in the State government said they are inquiring into the incident but have not yet initiated proceedings under the PCPNDT Act, which deals with pre-natal sex determination.
Last month, Telangana’s health administration raided two infertility clinics, where several women were staying for the duration of pregnancy. Images of so many pregnant women under one roof evoked strong public response, which forced the government to attempt regulating surrogacy when a law on a national level has been elusive. The Telangana government has constituted a committee to study the matter but the committee is yet to begin work.
