Samuel, the adorable two-year-old born via surrogate in the Ukraine to Belgian gay couple Laurent Ghilain (27, fitness trainer, biological father) and Peter Meurrens (37, cardiologist), appears to be finally headed home to be with his fathers. With Belgium banning surrogacy (for gay or straight parents), Samuel has been bouncing between foster parents and an orphanage in Ukraine, since Laurent and Peter’s home country refused to grant Samuel the paperwork to come home. But this nightmare — which cost more than $100k between surrogacy and legal fees, and involved the arrest of the couple’s sympathetic friend on kidnapping and child trafficking charges — appears ready to end: Yesterday the Belgian Foreign Ministry issued Samuel a passport, which means he’ll be transferred to Brussels this week before joining his parents in Ghilain, a small town in France where they’ve relocated. We wish you all the best, boys. (Read more on Peter and Laurent’s nightmare here.)
Paul A.
Well, in itself this is surely not bad news.
But if you read the full story, these two rich, Western European white gay men were quite irresponsible. They arranged to create a baby without checking first that they could bring him home. The baby spent his first year in a foster care and his second year in an orphanage, thanks to these men. I hope that this story will teach a lesson to many rich gay couples around the Western world: think twice before exploiting women’s womb. Don’t try to pass as a victim of the administration when you’re exploiting wombs of women in Eastern Europe.
kayla
“Exploiting women’s womb”, what in God’s name are you talking about? Surrogacy is not exploitation, the woman involved was paid for her services and then promptly went on to her next client. Surrogacy is mainly used by heterosexual women who unfortunately cannot carry their own child full term. Please get a grip. It is undoubtedly true that these two men were rather naive, and somewhat careless, in their research prior to deciding on their surrogacy. But what does their race or financial situation have to do with anything? This story originally broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I have been praying for a good resolution to this story. Samuel belongs with his fathers, he is young enough, that these horrific events will only be a faded memory. Children usually do not remember much before their third or fourth birthday, and I am sure that his loving dads are willing and ready to displace those bad memories with joyous new ones.
KalperniaRena
Awwww! I’m so happy for these two and their kid! Wow, its good to see happy endings once in a while. =)
Jperon
Paul shoots off his mouth without knowing the facts which have been reported in detail at both our website and the Facebook page we set up on behalf of the couple.
First, the could were originally told they would have no trouble with securing a passport for their son. They were then told something totally different when they tried to do it. Typical of government bureaucracy to not know what the other hand is doing.
Second, how moronic to say they exploited a womb. First it was mutually beneficial transaction, otherwise the woman would not have entered into it. Third, she regularly held the couple hostage, telling them she wanted them to buy her various things or she would abort the baby. If anything the “womb” exploited them.
But that said, the men are thrilled to have their son, and I suspect, in the end will say it was all worth it.
Jonathan
To this miraculous trio who have faced insurmountable odds I say “Thank G-d! You are a beautiful family and offer great inspiration to us all!”
HD Gay Vid
finally. congratulation !
Jeffree
Congrats (& félicitations) to this finally reunited family! Bienvenue en France, aussi. I’m glad that the ordeal is over and that Samuel is with his dads.
antonyvietnam
Congratulations!
Justice won for Laurent and Peter!
Paul A.
Abortion is a woman’s right.
GetBalance
Ahh fab! And I thought happy endings were only things that happened in massage parlors! 😉
Jperon
@Paul A.:
A woman has the right to abort, not to extort. I have a right to my own labor, but if someone pays me then I have sold that right. The woman in question took their money and then threatened to abort the child if she didn’t get more.
None of which actually addresses the fact that you made false accusations without knowing the facts. Laurent and Peter were told that it would be legally fine to use a surrogate. A woman has the right to be a surrogate and people have the right to contract with her. What she doesn’t have a right to do is take the money and then extort them for more by threatening to abort. If they had promised X amount up front and the rest later, and then refused to pay the rest later, they would be the guilty parties. They were not, unfortunately the woman used them and extorted extra money out of them with the threat of aborting their child. Do you really want to defend extortion?
Paul A.
@ JPERON
Under a capitalist system, laborers are exploited by their employers. The ones who steal and extort the capital gain are precisely the owners of the means of production.
Workers have a right to GO ON STRIKE to demand better wages. If surrogate mothers are workers, then they have the right to threaten to stop working, they have the right to jam the system if they think that the situation is not fair, regarding money or working conditions.
Thank goodness workers are fighting for their rights.