Thai couple vows to ‘never abandon’ surrogate twin

The Thai surrogate mother of a baby born with Down syndrome vowed to "never abandon" him as the Australian parents, who reportedly refused to care for the child, claimed they did not know of his existence and were only told by the surrogacy agency about his twin sister.

Australia’s government said it is considering intervening in the case of the sick baby left behind with his Thai surrogate mother.

Pattaramon Chanbua, a 21-year-old food vendor in Thailand’s seaside town of Sri Racha, is taking care of her 7-month-old surrogate baby, named Gammy, who also has a congenital heart condition. The parents, who have not been identified, took Gammy’s healthy twin sister back to their home in Western Australia state.

Scott Morrison, Australia’s immigration minister, told Sydney Radio 2GB that Pattaramon “is an absolute hero” and “a saint”, adding that the law surrounding the case “is very, very murky”.

“We are taking a close look at what can be done here, but I wouldn’t want to raise any false hopes or expectations,” Morrison said. “We are dealing with something that has happened in another country’s jurisdiction.”

In Sri Racha, Pattaramon said she was not angry with the biological parents for leaving Gammy behind, and that she hoped they would take care of the boy’s twin sister they took with them.

“I never thought of having an abortion, I never thought to abandon him. I love him as my own baby... he is my baby. I love him very much,” she said.

“I’ve never felt angry at them or hated them. I’m always willing to forgive them,” Pattaramon said. “I want to see that they love the baby girl as much as my family loves Gammy. I want her to be well taken care of.”

Pattaramon said the biological father visited the twins at a hospital in Bangkok and refused to look at or touch Gammy.

“He did not buy milk for Gammy. He only bought milk for the girl,” she told Fairfax Media.

“The twins stayed next to each other but the father never looked at Gammy… I could say he never touched Gammy at all.”

The Australian couple appeared to contradict Pattaramon’s claims, according to media reports.

The parents have denied any knowledge of Gammy, saying that the situation at the Thai hospital and a surrogacy agency was “very confusing” because of the language barrier.

An online campaign has raised over $220,000 to help with medical treatment.