Surrogate Baby Scandal: Parents Of ‘Abandoned’ Twin Speak Out, Father Is Also A Convicted Pedophile

Last week the story of a twin baby born from a surrogate mother being abandoned by his parents made headlines when the mother decided to raise him herself. Baby “Gammy” has Down Syndrome, but his twin sister was born healthy. The parents from Western Australia reportedly took her, but refused to take Gammy.

David and Wendy Farnell hired a Thai woman, Pattaramon Chanbua, to carry their baby. According to multiple reports, when the couple from Bunbury learned that one of the twin babies had a birth defect, they urged Chanbua to abort the child. Chanbua says she wasn’t willing to do that, so after the boy and girl were born, the Farnells took the healthy girl, but not the boy. Chanbua is now raising the baby and has found considerable support from many who’ve heard about her plight.

The Farnells will fill everyone in on what they have to say about the abandoned twin baby scandal. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Farnells will give their side of the story in an interview Sunday night with 60 Minutes.

The couple is experiencing their share of trauma, avoiding the hounding press at their doorstep. In fact, they haven’t showered or turned on their computer so reporters outside wouldn’t think they were home. On Wednesday, the Department of Child Protection and Family Services made a second visit to the Farnells’ home so they could interview them, but were unsuccessful.

In addition to that, their dog was removed by the RSPCA because they feared he wasn’t being fed.RSPCA WA spokeswoman Maree Daniels said: “Given the circumstances it was thought to take the animal into our care for its own safety.”

The Farnells say they feed their dog everyday and that the animal wasn’t going without food. The dog, however, had been reportedly barking at a side gate at the home for three days.

On top of all the drama facing the parents in the surrogate baby scandal, David Farnell’s dark past has come to light. It turns out he was convicted on 22 charges of sexual molestation when he was in his 20s. In 1997, he was sentenced to three years in jail for sexually molesting two girls under the age of 13. His 22 convictions include sexually molesting a girl only aged 7.

Farnell is now 56. When the girls he molested became adults, they filed court documents saying they suffered “depression” and “difficulty forming relationships” because of the abuse they suffered from Farnell.

Farnell’s son, who wishes not to be identified, tells Fairfax Media:

“I can tell you how good of a father my dad was towards us. He’s amazing. He’s brought the best out of all of us kids. He’s just got a massive heart. He’s made mistakes, we’ve accepted it… he’s made up for them. For everything to be brought back up (is) pretty heartbreaking to be honest.”

David Farnell’s son defends him and insists he’s turned his life around by working hard and being a good person. Mr. Farnell is the father of three grown children.

Aside from all of the baggage, what do the Farnells have to say about allegedly “abandoning” Gammy because he has Down Syndrome?

Daily Mail Australia reports that they were told the boy was ill and didn’t have long to live. The twins were born two months apart, at which time the Farnells didn’t have a legal right over them. Another allegation in their story was that they didn’t know about Gammy’s existence.

A number of factors surround the surrogate baby scandal. Hopefully something will be better explained in the Farnells’ 60 Minutes interview this Sunday night.

[Image via Daily Mail]