Australian couple ignored warnings when abandoning surrogate baby in India

Another case has emerged of an Australian couple abandoning a baby born to a surrogate parent overseas, this time in India, and despite warnings from Australian government officials.

The couple, from NSW, had twins — a boy and a girl — born to a surrogate in 2012.

In December that year the husband approached the Department of Immigration, saying that he and his wife only wanted to take the baby girl back home.

He told officials "they could not afford to support both children," according to the ABC, citing documents obtained under freedom-of-information laws.

"He also stated that they already had a boy and wanted to take the girl to complete their family," according to the documents.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs warned the couple, who have not been named, the son could be left "stateless" if they did not apply for Australian citizenship for him.

The officials conceded there was little they could do to protect the welfare of a "non-Australian child in a foreign jurisdiction".

The husband also told officials he and his wife wanted to adopt the child out to close family friends who lived in India, but officials later learned these "friends" were only known to the Australian couple through a mutual friend.

It is understood the baby boy was left behind when his biological parents returned to Australia and there are concerns money exchanged hands in the process of adopting him out.

NSW laws prohibit NSW residents from entering into overseas commercial surrogacy arrangements.

The Indian case follows that of baby Gammy, where a little boy with Down Syndrome was left in Thailand by his biological Australian parents.

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