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Reuters

A gay couple from the United States said their lives were being “destroyed” after a Thai surrogate mother refused to sign papers allowing them to take their baby out of Thailand.
The controversy is the latest over surrogacy in Thailand after several cases last year including accusations that an Australian couple abandoned their Down Syndrome baby with his birth mother, taking only his healthy twin sister back to Australia.
Another case involved a Hong Kong-based Japanese businessman who had 12 surrogate babies at "baby factory".
In the latest case, Gordon Allan Lake and his Spanish husband, Manuel Valero, say Thai surrogate Patidta Kusolsang, who is not the baby’s biological mother, decided she wanted to keep their baby, Carmen, as the couple was preparing to leave Thailand.
Patidta “had issues” with the couple’s sexual orientation, said Lake, and did not show up at the US embassy in Bangkok in January to sign Carmen’s passport application and give them the papers needed to leave Thailand.
“We have been here six months and our lives are being destroyed,” Lake said.
“Our families have missed out on the first six months of Carmen’s beautiful life.”
Patidta did not respond to a request for comment.
Thailand has been a popular destination for foreign couples seeking surrogacy services, partly because of loose regulations and low costs compared with some other countries.

But following last year’s surrogacy scandals, Thailand passed a law in February that bans foreigners from seeking surrogacy services.
The law does not come into effect until July 30 and Lake and Valero are not in violation of Thai law for commissioning surrogacy last year.
The US embassy in Bangkok said US citizens in Thailand were subject to Thai law.
“Pursuant to US law, the Department cannot issue passports to minor children without the consent of the legal parent/s or guardians/s,” said embassy spokeswoman Melissa Sweeney.
Under current Thai law, the birth mother is recognised as the mother of the child and commissioning parents have no automatic legal rights over a child, said Wanlop Tankananurak, a member of the National Legislative Assembly who helped draft the surrogacy law.
Lake said the couple, who have a son, Alvaro, who was born through surrogacy in India two years ago, chose Thailand because regulations in India had changed.
“Thailand has great medical facilities, hospitals, embryologists and surrogacy has been going on for years in Thailand,” he said.
“Everyone had great expectations, there was no reason to think anything could go wrong.”


Surrogate mother stops American gay couple from taking baby out of Thailand

Portraits of babies are used as an advertisement at a fertility and genetic clinic in Bangkok. Thailand has been hit by a number of controversies over surrogacy over the past year. Photo: Reuters

Gammy, a baby born with Down's Syndrome, is held by his surrogate mother Pattaramon Janbua at a hospital in Chonburi province after claims that the Australian couple left the baby behind. Photo: Reuters

Thailand bans commercial surrogacy after series of scandals

Thai surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua, a 21-year-old food vendor, poses with Gammy, who was born with Down's syndrome. Photo: AP

Thai surrogate mum wants healthy twin back amid reports biological father is convicted paedophile

Pattaramon Chanbua said she would 'leave it to the law' to see if she can get the girl back. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong man says he fathered 12 surrogate babies in Thailand

Pattaramon Chanbua, surrogate

Four couples barred from taking surrogate babies home from Thailand

David Farnell and his wife Wendy pose with their baby Pipah in Australia. The Australian couple has denied that they abandoned their son born with Down syndrome to a Thai surrogate. Photo: AP/60 Minutes

Surrogate mother stops American gay couple from taking baby out of Thailand

US couple say the Thai surrogate "had issues" with their sexuality