Abandons infant protesting delay in issue of travel papers for him
An American woman causes a flutter by abandoning her two-month-old son, born via an Indian surrogate mother, at the Passport Office in Secunderabad here on Wednesday, protesting delay in issuing passport to him.
J. Perllinda Vanburen Green, 40, however, took back her son after the police promised her to secure the travel documents at the earliest. The drama unfolded around 5 p.m. when the woman went up to the passport office. Later, she left the baby wrapped in clothes in the verandah and disappeared.
After noticing the infant, the passport office authorities called in the Market Police. The police, after examining some documents left in a bag along with the baby, traced her to the nearby Rama Fertility Centre. The American married a Jamaican 15 years ago but could not conceive. She lives with her husband in Jamaica.
Ms. Green contacted the fertility centre and got her husband's sperm flown in to Hyderabad. She entered into a contract with an Indian woman seeking the latter to donate oocyte. “Thus, the boy was born to the Jamaican via an Indian surrogate mother on December 7, 2011,” Market Police Inspector S. Vinod Kumar told The Hindu.
Ms. Green landed here three weeks ago to take her son to Jamaica and applied for passport for his son under the Tatkal scheme on January 19. She was reportedly assured that the passport would be issued four days later.
“It seems she was depressed at not getting the passport on the said day but the legal provisions obstructed the process,” the Inspector said. The passport authorities reportedly maintained that they wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs for clarification if they could issue a passport to the baby born to a Jamaican via a surrogate Indian mother, whose details were kept secret.
The American could not secure a Jamaican passport for the baby as there is no Jamaican embassy either in Hyderabad or in Delhi. The woman approached the honorary consul of the Jamaican government in Delhi but was asked to meet the Passport Officer in Hyderabad.
Finally, the authorities here decided to issue an identity certificate to the newborn following a verification report, to be submitted by the Special Branch wing of the Hyderabad police. She can fly abroad along with her son with the identity certificate and obtain a Jamaican passport for him, the police said.
Keywords: Secunderabad airport, American woman, passport office
Comments:
Laton ke Bhoot Baton se nahin Mante. Kudos to the Woman. Although she had taken very difficult decision but our sense-less authorities left us no alternatives but to push us to such an extent that sometimes we are forced to take extreme decisions to force them back to do their legal and constitutional duties. It is this senselessness, lack of responsibility and accountability of our system that the person start feeling himself/ herself total helpless and takes extreme decisions and no doubt this attitude of our administration is somewhere in the root of extremism existing and spreading very fast in our society and country. The system has to change its such attitude very fast to prevent the explosive situation in future.
I understand the anguish of the mother but not sure if it is the right way of protest by abandoning a two month old baby.This lady should be tested for her mental ability for her to be a foster mother and if not, appropriate action should be taken to secure the infant custody as per Indian child protection law
basically the passport office authorities are at fault. They should not have entertained the tatkal-application from that lady . It is audocity and high handedness on the part of the American lady having married a Jamaican and getting a child thro an Indian surrogate mother., to apply for an Indian passport and abandon the infant on the verandah of the passport office. The HINDU has rightly called it a Drama . The details of the surrogate mother can not be withheld as secret. When it is a contract, the details can certainly be warranted by the statutory authorities , that is the law. Or the fertility centre should have educated the lady in advance. The issue involves citizenship legal rights etc., .The issuance of an identity certificate is an apt action at this juncture. Let this be an eye-opener to the government , and suitable laws be made to enable the authorities to act correctly. I do wish that our Indian govt. Officials come out of the white-skin mania.
Luckily she was an American, so her work was over in a swift.Such protests for various issues by an Indian infront of Government offices are common,but mostly they are either beatenup or arrested!Authorities please your heart for Indians too.
Luckily she was an American, so her work was over in a swift.Such protests for various issues by an Indian infront of Government offices are common,but mostly they are either beatenup or arrested!Authorities please use your heart for Indians too.
Isn't any baby born to whoever, gets the citizenship of the country of birth ?This is not first such baby. What is the issue here ?. Not clear.
Novel way of protesting; unless the issue gets highlighted, the
government authorities find it difficult to shake themselves out of
slumber.
Well said mr. jaya prakash... some years before one of the american diplomat (he was spying in mumbai) was allowed to travel to america by immigration officials of delhi.. later delhi and mumbai blamed each other for allowing him to travel.. In our country., our fellow men were not respected.., if even we do good things...
I am support Brother jaya prakash comments.why only american get that work done.many indian also have problem and causes a flutter but they not get solution why? why?please use your heart for Indians too nice said brother jaya prakash.
If we go by the Norway episode, if this women cannot take care of the baby, the orphanage to take the baby and make sure that she never sees the kid again. Instead we apologies to them to get the passport faster. Once again spineless India.
If a woman abandons her 2 month old baby out of frustration- I wonder how fit she is to be a mother. I do not see why this case specifically has been highlighted- perhaps because it involved an American? Can we first focus on our citizens? And if that baby is Indian, I would not allow it out of the country with this woman - God knows where she will abandon it next!!
Looks like she was not aware that bribing will get the certificate even when the baby is coming out of the womb. I applaud the courage of this woman. She has tried and probbaly went to this extent to get attention.
This lady should be arrested - no excuses can be given for abandoning a child. She could face up to 5 yrs in jail if this was in USA. Shame on all of you who hail it as a novel protest. This woman must be remanded to jail and the child be removed from her custody and placed in government care immediately.
This lady should be arrested for risking her child's safety. The child should be in protective custody. No matter what her grievance was, what kind of a mother would abandon her child like that?
She may be an American but she does not have American sense of law. >Had she been here in USA, she would be behind bars for child endangerment and have lost her baby to the Child Welfare Department. Why should Indian women surrogate for such mean spirited, self-centered women?
Surprisingly there is so much support for the woman among the commentators. Not getting a passport, then abandoning the child at the passport office, does not bode well for the child. This woman does not deserve to be a mother and should be monitored closely by social services in her country.
Surrogate motherhood is a very common practice nowadays in India and the Indian having allowed surrogate motherhood should have the laws to issue the passports as well.Government employees need a rap on the knuckle or more from time to time.
This type of fight is regular phenomenon in Govt offices if you do not give bribe.India will never ever be a super power with the corrupt minded population who constantly elect morally corrupt people.
I will share the experiences of my friend,who studying in Indian
university,they vexed with the delays and jokes Indians live longer
like nearly 500 years,so they take so much time get the work
done.its red tapism to be blamed.its take nearly one month renewal
of library card or identity card even they have documents
proofs.please end this make our guest comfortable with our
procedures.
I think when this lady has opted for such a complicated and not so
common way of getting a child, she has to be a little patient for
passport and related matters. Also leaving a baby just 2 month old in
a public office is very very naive step, may be it is the height of
irresponsible behaviour. The passport services in India are improving
day by day but government officials have to exercise due diligence in
such complicated matters. Recently the Norwegian government secured
the custody of two Indian children for nonsense reasons but what this
woman has done is the height of irresponsible behaviour and there is
every reason to believe that she may not be able to be a good mother.
May be, the police should have sent her to women protection department
of the Dept. of Social Security of the Andhra Pradesh along with the
child and get her mental status examined.
Mr.Jaya prakash.,next time when some body comes to my desk I will try to
do my best for him. its not that we do not know but words at times make
a lot of difference.Thank you.
Agree with Mr. Ashok Dave. This woman's gestures make me think that she is not entitled to have that baby. Somebody from the Social security department should have taken custody of this baby immediately. I understand that the process (or concerned officials) hadn't finished in a timely manner, due to the complex nature of her situation. But what she did questions her credibility as a mother.