They dream of playing with their grandchild and singing a lullaby to him just like any others of their age. But for Ravikumar and Karthyani of Karukutty, devastated by the loss of their only son, it’s a dream that will take more than the usual 10-month-long anxious wait.
The couple, who won legal claim over the semen of their deceased son a year ago, are still looking for a surrogate mother, who can give birth to their grandchild.
Unable to bear the huge expense to ‘hire a womb,’ Ravikumar, a daily wage worker, and his wife, a sweeper, are shedding tears silently cursing their fate. “We don’t have money to rent a womb. It would cost about Rs 20 lakh. Hopefully, someone will come forward understanding our feelings,” they said.
After their victory in a rare legal battle, the couple are waiting for a kind-hearted woman to conceive their would-be grandchild.
It may be recalled that ‘Express’ had brought out their story in reports published on December 30 last year and February 4 this year.
The couple attracted media attention for initiating legal action against the hospital authorities who were keeping the semen of their deceased son Ratheesh.
Ratheesh died of pneumonia on January 5 last year. During the course of the treatment, his semen was preserved for medical diagnosis a year before that. Driven by their love for an offspring, the couple in their late 50s decided to opt for the assisted reproductive technology but had to fight a legal battle to get custody of the semen from the hospital.
The permanent Lok Adalat bench passed a verdict in favour of the couple asking the hospital to hand over the semen subject to the condition that the hospital will not be medically or legally responsible for any case arising out of the use of the semen. “It has given us hope that we could have our son back. After the order, we received it from the hospital. Considering its safety it was preserved in the same hospital,” said Karthyani, the bereaved mother of Ratheesh.
The semen continues to be preserved at the Centre for Infertility Management (CIMAR) and Assisted Reproduction, Kochi.
Giving fresh hopes a woman had nearly agreed to fulfil their dream before backing out leaving them in despair. “A woman agreed to be surrogate mother initially, but it was not fruitful. We are searching for a donor and the talks are going on. We met some other women.
If she asks for a big amount for this, that plan would also be dropped,” the couple said.
According to their counsel Aniyan P Vakkom, while signing the agreement regarding handing over the child with the surrogate mother, they have to follow the guidelines of Indian Council for Medical Research. “Surrogacy arrangement will continue to be governed by contract among parties,” he said. More: P4
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