Fate of illegally adopted babies
Panchalee Thakur
[ Wednesday, August 06, 2003 04:34:04 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
A couple had adopted a baby clandestinely from a hospital hoping nobody except
their immediate family members would know about it. But the fear of somebody
discovering their dark secret continued to haunt them. They stopped attending
family functions and kept changing addresses to keep suspicious relatives at
bay.
A young couple had picked up a destitute baby from a nursing home without
getting the necessary paperwork done. Some months later they decided to migrate
to Australia but with no adoption papers, they couldn’t have taken the baby
with them. They got a birth certificate fabricated, registered the child in an
adoption agency and then got the other documents organised. It took them months
of running around to get it done.
An illegal adoption cannot be legalised. In such an adoption, the child can
never have any inheritance rights. Without the proper channel, prospective
parents have no certainty that the baby had been voluntarily relinquished. The
child can be reclaimed by their biological parents. Having done everything in
secrecy, they never reveal the true story to the child and that causes enormous
pressure.
Nomita Chandy, secretary, Ashraya Children’s Home, says, “The plight of
these parents is deplorable. They are always at the risk of blackmail by the
hospital staff or the middle men through whom they had bought the child.”
Every time a racket like the one that was recently exposed in Bangalore comes to
light, parents who had bought infants in a similar way spend days and nights in
fear of being discovered.
Nina Nayak, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, says, “People have a
misconception that the paperwork is too cumbersome and the mandatory home study
is an intrusion into their privacy.” She says sometimes people get jittery
that the adoption has no legal standing and work backwards to get all the
documents in place. But then the process is much more cumbersome and traumatic.
Vimla Pinto, a lawyer who has advised in several adoption cases, says, “There
is no provision for legalising an illegal adoption. Sometimes couples resort to
a false birth certificate. Imagine the risks involved. The fear of getting
discovered continues to hang over their heads like a Damocles’ sword
throughout their lives.”
Vimla Crasta, executive committee member, Sudatta, an organisation of adoptive
parents, says, “The waiting period is beneficial to prepare couples for the
adoption. The home study is done sensitively and is not an intrusion into their
privacy.”
After the recent baby racket expose, Dr Saraswati Srinath, president, Sudatta
says they are planning sessions for nursing homes and gynaecologists in the city
on the legal provisions and the repercussions of taking a short cut to clear all
their doubts and misconceptions.
[Times of India, Wednesday, August 06, 2003]