Parents of German surrogate twins to approach adoption agency

NEW DELHI: It might well be a happy ending, albeit two years late, for twins born to a surrogate mother in Anand, Gujarat, to a German Jan Balaz. 
 
The surrogate twins, who at one time faced the grim prospect of becoming stateless citizens as German law did not recognise surrogacy as a means of parenthood and India refused to grant them citizenship, may soon unite with their parents Balaz and his wife Susan Lohle.

The couple on Wednesday informed a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly through counsel Nikhil Goel that they would soon move an application for start of inter-country adoption procedure before the Central Adoption and Resource Authority (CARA).

Goel's plea drew solid support from the Centre, on behalf of which solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam promised the Bench that the government would do its best to help the couple. The court fixed February 22 for next hearing on the matter to get an update on the progress.

CARA, an autonomous body set up in 1990 under the ministry of women and child development, is mandated to find a loving and caring family for every orphan, destitute or surrendered child in the country.

It was designated as central authority by the ministry of social justice and empowerment on July 17, 2003 for implementation of the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children & Cooperation in respect of inter-country adoption.

Inter-country adoption procedure is governed by a set of guidelines last issued on February 14, 2006. These guidelines are a follow-up of various directions given by the Supreme Court in L K Pandey vs Union of India.

(Edit:Ruby)