Twin joy for WA couple
A WA couple were finally able to bring twin boys born to a Thai surrogate mother home to Perth yesterday.
David and Lorraine Markovich told Seven News of their relief at being able to bring babies Liam and Joe into WA, after delays caused by tightened surrogacy regulations in Thailand after the baby Gammy scandal.
Bunbury man David Farnell and his wife Wendy were accused by the Thai surrogate mother Pattharamon Janbua of their twins of abandoning their baby boy Gammy, who has Down syndrome, and only taking their healthy daughter home.
Mr Farnell, who has past convictions for child sex offences, denied the claim and said the couple wanted to bring Gammy to WA.
Mr Markovich was granted permission to bring the twin boys home after a court application.
He had DNA proof that they were his biological children and had already been granted Australian citizenship.
But after the Gammy case Thai authorities began demanding a court ruling for couples to take babies from surrogate mothers out of the country.
Other Australian couples were still waiting to be allowed to leave Thailand with their babies, Seven News reported.
