Baby Manji’s wait may end soon

JAIPUR: Manji Yamada, the Japanese child born to an Indian surrogate mother, may finally be going back home.

The Gujarat government has asked the municipal council of Anand, where she was born, to issue a birth certificate that may act as her passport.  “The birth certificate would be issued in the name of her Japanese father. This will clear the way for her travel,” said Dr Nayna Patel, the gynaecologist under whose supervision the child was born. 

“Indian Council of Medical Research laws state kids born to surrogate mothers would be issued birth certificates in the name of their genetic parents,” she said. Turn to p15

In June, Japanese orthopaedic surgeon Ikufumi Yamada had entered into a contract with an Anand-based woman, who had agreed to become the surrogate mother of his child.

While the sperm were donated by the father, the egg came from an unidentified donor.

The baby born in July, however, has been stuck in India as Japan, which does not recognise surrogacy, has refused to issue a passport to the infant.

The only option for Manji's father now is to apply for Indian travel documents that would allow him to take the baby back to Japan. For the past few days, the infant has been lying in a Jaipur hospital after it contracted some infection.

Dr Patel said the father would be able to apply for the travel documents as soon as the birth certificate is issued. “Since the baby was born in India, she is eligible for travel documents that work like a passport,” she said.

Dr Patel said adoption is not the issue in Manji's case. “Indian laws legally identify Dr Yamada as the baby's genetic father. He is not required to adopt the baby,” she said.

Meanwhile, well-known lawyer Indira Jaisingh, who is taking up Manji's case, also expressed hope that the Indian government would allow her to go back home soon.

“We will file an appeal with the government that the child be issued Indian travel documents,” Jaisingh said.