On December 1, actor Aamir Khan and his filmmaker-wife, Kiran Rao
welcomed their first-born son-but with a classy difference. The couple,
in an openness that is rare in the Indian society, announced that their
son was born through surrogacy using the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) technique.
Their letter, which was released to the media on Monday, thanked miracles of science and read, "This baby is especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty." The letter added that due to medical complications, "we were advised to have a baby through IVF-surrogacy, and we feel very grateful to the Almighty that all has gone well".
The couple didn't mention whether their son was born in Mumbai or outside. They underwent treatment with Dr Firuza Parikh, who heads Jaslok Hospital's IVF department. On Monday, Dr Parikh told TOI, "This is an extremely happy moment for us. Kiran has gone through a lot and we are all excited for her. They underwent IVF-surrogacy treatment and they are the biological and genetic parents of the baby." Family sources suggested that Kiran Rao (38), who suffered a miscarriage last year, had uterine medical problems that necessitated a surrogacy.
Their letter, which was released to the media on Monday, thanked miracles of science and read, "This baby is especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty." The letter added that due to medical complications, "we were advised to have a baby through IVF-surrogacy, and we feel very grateful to the Almighty that all has gone well".
The couple didn't mention whether their son was born in Mumbai or outside. They underwent treatment with Dr Firuza Parikh, who heads Jaslok Hospital's IVF department. On Monday, Dr Parikh told TOI, "This is an extremely happy moment for us. Kiran has gone through a lot and we are all excited for her. They underwent IVF-surrogacy treatment and they are the biological and genetic parents of the baby." Family sources suggested that Kiran Rao (38), who suffered a miscarriage last year, had uterine medical problems that necessitated a surrogacy.
The couple married in December 2005. Aamir (46) has two other children from his first wife, Reena Dutta.
On Monday, in a single sweep of words, the actor who is associated with
some path-breaking films emerged as the poster-boy for IVF and
surrogacy-terms that Indians in general have been too squeamish to
discuss in the open. His 'endorsement of sorts' comes in a year of
controversies surrounding surrogacy in Mumbai; babies born through it to
foreigners were deemed 'stateless' because their parents' country of
origin didn't recognize surrogacy.
The medical fraternity
believes that Aamir's letter will change the public perception about
IVF. Dr Indira Hinduja, who is officially credited with India's first
test-tube baby born in KEM Hospital 25 years ago, said, "It's nice of
Aamir Khan to talk about it. He is a top star and people may now no
longer mind undergoing a surrogacy treatment and talking about it."
Infertility
specialist Dr Hrishikesh Pai said Aamir's statement would bring
surrogacy into the mainstream of medicine. But, more important, he said,
was that Aamir's "speaking out" will help people accept the world of
IVF. "I get calls from former patients saying they have recommended my
centre to a friend or family member. In the same breath, they add that
they don't want this person to know that they themselves had undergone
IVF treatment with me earlier. People are paranoid about being
considered disadvantaged for seeking help in having a child."
Aamir's endorsement could have both a positive and a negative impact,
said infertility specialist Dr Aniruddha Malpani. "Celebs play a big
role in influencing societal attitudes and the fact that Aamir Khan has
used surrogacy to have a baby and has issued a press release stating
this publicly means that many other infertile couples will want to learn
more about this option," he said.
The bad impact, he said, is
that surrogacy will now become more acceptable as a method of family
building. "The danger is that many other infertile couples will follow
blindly in his footsteps. Surrogacy can be misused, overused and
abused," added Dr Malpani.
Source:- indiatimes
No comments:
Post a Comment