Meet Peter and Laurent. They’re a married gay Belgian couple with a 2.5-year-old son Samuel, who’s been trapped in a Ukrainian orphanage. How come? Because Belgium bans surrogacy, so the couple used Laurent’s sperm and a Ukranian surrogate mother to have their son. Except when the dads tried to bring their new son home, they ran into Belgian red tape out the whaz.
Click the “CC” button to turn on English subtitles.
The surrogacy cost $35,000. The legal fight to bring their child home? $118,000. And here they are more than two years later, unable to raise their own son.
Why not go the adoption route? They did, at first. But while it’s legal for gays to adopt in Belgium, they say it rarely happens. So they found a surrogacy agency in Belgium, paid to have Laurent’s sperm implanted, and on Nov. 24, 2008, Samuel was born. When they tried to take him home, by getting Samuel a Belgian passport at the consulate, is where they first ran into trouble. They were refused. Forced to return to their jobs in Belgium, they leave their newborn with a foster family in Ukraine — which, after a year, threatened to put him up for adoption anonymously. So the couple raced to Ukraine, and took their child back. Arranging with a female friend to transport Samuel across the Polish border, she was arrested on child trafficking and kidnapping charges. They got their friend out of jail; Samuel was left in an orphanage.
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Is there any hope? Supposedly, yes. As of today, this video’s YouTube description reports: “Samuel is no longer ‘trapped’ in the orphanage, and Peter and Laurent will apply for a tourist visa at the local Belgian consulate. … Sadly, their experience taught them that it probably will not succeed, but they will try all possible options.”
jak
Who would have guessed that in liberal Europe this sort of thing would go on. Perhaps they can appeal to the Court of the Hague. If that doesn’t work, I would suggest greasing a few palms.
kayla
There’s a difference between true tolerance and apathy…I think in a lot of European countries, because they’re essentially not very religious, most people don’t care who you screw, they might even allow you to get married…But when it comes to the kids…that’s where you see people showing their true colors…..We’ll let you screw anyone you like, but do you really suppose we want you raising kids!! Just look to France…..
Harbo
“Liberal Europe” is nlot so liberal. I lived a number of years in Europe (Amsterdam, Florence, Venice and Paris) and I can tell you that many of the problems we have in the U.S. are alive and well there. Gays face much the same prejudice in Europe that they do here, especially in tyhe smaller cities. Sad but true
gregger
@jak: Belgium isn’t liberal. Regardless of what you might have heard the nation is half Roman Catholic and half Lutheran. Neither of those could be called liberal.
HD G Vid
$35,000 for surrogacy? Now where can i find that much of money 🙁
Jeffree
Is the issue just that they’re a gay couple or is it that they tried to bypass Belgian laws on surrogacy by bringing in a “foreign”-born kid? Immigration rules could also be the problem.
I think the “no surrogacy” law is inane but that doesn’t apply ONLY to same-gender couples, because heterosexual couples/singles also use surrogates.
mconyc08
SUPPORT THEM ON FACEBOOK!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Koppenreportage-Steun-homokoppel-Peter-Meurrens-en-Laurent-Ghilain/185589418129884?v=wall
cls
An English Facebook page has been created here.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-for-Laurent-and-Peter/187839651236216?v=wall
Right Wingers Are Socioptahs (John From England)
Horrible.
lieven
@gregger: Sorrym but there are no Lutherans in Belgium. I am Belgian. Its 80 percent Catholic and about 6 pc Muslim.
TommyOC
This story breaks my heart.
But let it stand as a reminder to our short-sighted anti-American Canadian and European friends that for every Florida, there’s a Belgium.
The United States appears to have legitimate challengers in claiming the title of being the most backward Western country on the planet when it comes to gay rights… and it looks like the U.S. is losing that fight!
scott ny'er
@HD G Vid: I actually thought 35K was an inexpensive figure for surrogacy. But I know nothing about this.
Cam
One thing I don’t get, they used one of the men’s sperm, so can he just bring in the child as the father? Why is Belbum preventing that???
kayla
@Cam: A lot of people don’t get how precious the U.S. constitution actually is….There are a lot of countries where even the children of citizens aren’t automatically allowed citizenship, if they aren’t actually born in the country…Now, I don’t know Belgian law, and don’t know if that’s the case…But people really need to appreciate the American Constitution that gives automatic citizenship, not only to the children of citizens born anywhere in the world, but also gives it anyone born on it’s soil (again, this is not the case in MANY other countries)….America has a long way to go, but because of that precious foundational document called the Constitution of the United States, it will definitely get there.
Soupy
That sounds like Glenn Beck. Unfortunately, many teabaggers and republicans want to rescind the 14th amendment, so it can’t be that “precious”. It’s best not to romanticize historical documents. It skews perspective.
Melissa
@gregger:
Melissa
@lieven:
and that includes 70% lapsed Catholics, indeed
kayla
@Soupy: I think the constitution is one document that should be romanticized. It’s actually a brilliant document…Most people have no idea what’s in it, that’s why so many fools were demanding that the military itself should decide whether DADT stays or goes. This ignorance is also the reason many Americans can be manipulated on the gay marriage issue, they’re terrified that gays are gonna demand that their pastor officiate over their marriages. They’re completely oblivious to the fact that the First Amendment guarantees this can never happen.
More Americans need to familiarize themselves with this particular historical document, they should stop romanticizing figures like Reagan and Kennedy (which is actually kinda creepy and verges on worship, particularly the Republicans’ obsession with deifying Reagan) and romanticize the constitution which guarantees their basic rights. It’s actually the only document that truly deserves that kind of lauding…
Jeffree
@TommyOC: I think we may be missing the point. Belgium does not allow surrogacy, and that applies to gay and straight couples. (that seems like a wrong-headed law to me but it’s equally discriminatory)
This sounds more like a case of the couple trying to get around the surrogacy law by going to Ukraine, and dealing with immigration hurdles on their way to bring the Ukrainian-born baby to their home in Belgium.
Sad story all around. I hope the situation resolves soon.
Maha
Heartbreaking. To actually wait all those months for their son to be born, then have to leave him behind. This is horrible. I hope something works out for them very soon.
Soupy
I’m actually very familiar with the constitution. All 4,400 words of it. Did you know that “god” isn’t one of those words?
kayla
F%$K BELGIUM!! Now can we please get over this delusion that Europe is some progressive Utopia…Did you see the face of that document stamper…he doesn’t give a f%$k!! At least in the U.S. emotionalism counts for something… and public outcry would force some politician to cave (if only because Americans are convinced that children raised anywhere else other than the great U.S. of A are doomed to become marxists) Remember Ilian, and his daddy wasn’t even a citizen….But the kind of bureaucrat, as displayed in this video, only cares that all documents are typed in the correct font!!
kayla
@Soupy: What’s your point….? Did I mention God? Did I mention the Declaration of Independence? The fact that many people think the words of the Declaration are in the Constitution is a very good reason we should become more familiar with, and popularize the constitution….Or are you just one of those anti-religious folks, who can’t help but bring God into the mix to bash people of faith….?
justiceontherocks
@kayla: Your post #18. The Constitution guarantees no such thing. In fact the US government has at least twice succeeded in forcing the Mormons to make major changes (banning polygamy and allowing Blacks to be members). Sorry but this “freedom of religion” thing doesn’t mean what you think it does. You are the one who should become more familiar with the Constitution and its amendments.
Soupy
No Kayla. My point is that so many people read things into the constitution that aren’t there. Teabaggers insist that god is in there. Originalists take it literally and consider it sacred, yet want to repeal the parts that don’t suit their purposes. Michele Bachmann butchers it. Gun activists misinterpret their 2nd amendment. I think that romanticizing it suggests that people “worship” it, which is not the way to approach a document that is living, breathing, and subject to change.
kayla
@justiceontherocks: Firstly, Polygamy is against the law, just as incest is against the law. Should people be able to have incestuous relationships under the auspices of religious freedom…? No! Just as you can’t commit pedophilia even if you think God wants you to. That has nothing to do with the First Amendment…The American government informed the LDS that if they wanted Utah to become a state, they would have to give up polygamy…Their “Prophet” then coincidentally had a vision telling him to stop polygamy and destroy the temple that had been used in polygamous marriages.
Secondly, the United States government cannot and did not force the Mormons to start accepting blacks into their priesthood (they already had black congregants). They LDS church did it, knowing that the times had changed and it was becoming bad P.R. So again their then “Prophet” had a vision telling him to stop polygamy. This happened in 1978 some 14 years after the Civil Rights Act had been enacted in 1964.
kayla
The 2nd. paragraph should say “….vision telling him to allow black men into the priesthood”….sorry!
Soupy
I must have missed something.
Jeffree
Belgium’s law on bann.ing surrogacy apply also to straight couples, not just gay ones. If bringing the child back from Ukraine goes against immigration rules, this may not be so much a sign of homophobia as it is xenophobia.
kayla
@Jeffree: Are you Belgian…? If so, can you answer as to why the fact that the child’s father is Belgian, doesn’t make him automatically a Belgian citizen……I don’t understand how they can bar the child, if his biological father is Belgian.
Pickles
So what happens if you are a married pregnant Belgian citizen who happens to give birth while visiting London or on vacation in France or studying in Amsterdam?
Must you leave your baby in the country where it was born or never return home to Belgium?
This makes no sense to me.
This child is his biological baby. How does it benefit the country to separate a child from his parents?
I mean if it wasn’t a surrogate situation and the mom had died would he still be held to these restrictions for 2 YEARS!!?
Jeffree
If I understand the rules (I’m not Belgian but I’m very involved in adoption/transnat’l adoption issues), it has to do with the use of a foreign surrogate. The birth mom still has a potential claim on the custody, and the child’s nationality could be questionable. I’ll try to find out more but that may take a day or two.
kayla
This story has truly broken my heart, but I have to say these guys really did make the wrong choice of doing surrogacy in the UKraine, where they’re kinda backwards (like most of Eastern Europe) as far as gay issues are concerned…And frankly I don’t think they’ll be getting a lot of help from the Ukrainian officials…They should have chosen the U.S., but it was probably more expensive….Still, I think they would have had a better chance with a U.S. advocate putting pressure on the Belgian government etc….Still they can’t change their decisions….Well, now I know that Belgians are some hard-hearted bastards….They’ll never get my tourist dollars….Ever!!
Francis
This is a horrible tragedy, but why are some people here saying it’s a homophobia incident? That doesn’t appear to be the case. Let’s not turn this into something it isn’t and focus on the matter at hand, which is that this child is being unfairly kept away from his parents.
kayla
@Francis: Well, if they could have adopted in their own country, this wouldn’t have happened, so in that sense there was some homophobia at the heart of this story. But you’re right in that it’s not homophobia keeping their child away from them (though I would like to know how heterosexual couples who’ve used a surrogate overseas were treated). But assuming there’s no homophobia, it’s still amazing to me that a so-called first world nation like Belgium, hasn’t fixed it laws to keep up with the medical technology. They don’t seem very concerned about their infertile or gay citizens. And why isn’t the child automatically a citizen through his father…? What an ineffective bureaucracy they have over there…. I really thought America was the worst….
The pencil pusher stated that it’s not illegal, but it also isn’t legal…..the words of an ineffective bureaucrat if ever there was….
Soupy
I think that you have to look into the history of the 14th amendment in the U.S. It was a reconstruction amendment, post civil-war, and meant to overide the Dred/Scot decision, enabling former slaves to become citizens. It isn’t a universal policy.
kayla
I’ve been reading up on the stupid Belgians and their convoluted laws…Apparently they don’t allow surrogacy because it’s considered the “buying” of a child and that of course, violates the child’s human dignity!!! This is the kind of twisted logic that fuels useless bureaucracies… I wonder if they think this particular child’s dignity isn’t being violated, now that he’s being forced to grow up in a Ukrainian orphanage, when he could otherwise be home with two loving fathers….?
codyj
sickening…three wonderfull people (one innocent) being DENIED love and companionship as a family, breaks my heart..sooo sad.With all the misery and unhappiness in this world….and those two men jus want their ;child’ to love,and for him to be loved…Stupid belgians, ugggh
Soupy
Is “stupid belgians” any different than saying “stupid christians”?
kayla
@Soupy: You’re right, all Belgians aren’t complicit in this horrific crime. After all, the victims themselves, are Belgians. I was in an emotional state when I wrote that particular statement. It was wrong. I will however, correct myself. STUPID F75KING HEARTLESS MOTHERF21KING BUREAUCRATS!!!
thedarkchariot
Wait…so even if a sterile straight couple had this surrogacy, it would be like this too? That’s a pretty screwed up law…or lack of law.
roel
I’m Belgian.
* in Belgium surrogacy is not illegal, but it’s not legal either (they call it a jurisdictional vacuum – Belgium is the country of surrealists) and it has to do with concerns about commercial surrogacy (exploitation of women and moral implications).. I believe it’s just a matter of time for Belgium to allow non-commercial surrogacy (still a few years)
* Belgium isn’t all that catholic as people here seem to think. sure we have overall western values and morals that come with western catholicism, but church and state are STRICTLY divided (our leaders do not have to believe in god, ‘god bless belgium’ is never uttered) and the church has lost a lot of support here due to education, postmodern thinking, the scandals, etc..
* the problem with Samuel seems to be: Samuel is born from surrogacy. the surrogate mother and biological father are mentioned on the birth certificat. the surrogate mother has relinquished her rights as his biological mother. at the consulate in Ukraine, the Belgian consul will not recognise the birth certificat as ‘legal document’ because it comes from surrogacy: he/she apparently stated: ‘how can you have a biological child if you are married to a man’ and because it comes from surrogacy which is not strictly legal under Belgian law, he/she refrains from giving Samuel a passport..
also, a straight couple that had a child through Ukranian surrogacy had some problems, but could take their child to Belgium within 6 months
roel
@roel: PLEASE sign the petition! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/gaycouple_peterlaurent/
kayla
@roel: So the application of the law is based in homophobia, if a heterosexual couple is allowed to take their child home after six months??? Well thanks for the info, what a bunch of bastards!!!!
lena
It’s not natural to be with the same sex, if they want that then they should not think of having a baby. Homosexuals are sick…they have genetic defect…hopefully we will have therapy in the future for this mutation.
kayla
@lena: Aren’t you special!
Sparky
Lena, you’re a horrifying cunt. You shouldn’t be allowed to have a houseplant, let alone a child.
Now run along and do whatever it is that you do (gold digging? sex work in the Ukraine) as badly as you do everything else. And FUCK RIGHT OFF while you’re at it, Miss Hitler.
roel
@Kayla: as I understand it: it is the Belgian consulate in Ukraine that does not want to recognize his nationality (and I can imagine the consulate over there is not as openminded as we are here) and the office of Foreign Affairs affirms the consul because there is no Belgian law to force them to do otherwise
if the consulate over there would cooperate (meaning: interpreting the absence of regulation on surrogacy in Belgium in another way) there would be no problem for Samuel..
there’s a related clip from Ukrainian TV with English subtitles online
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZGq9nYN…
read the description to understand more of the situation
-roel
lena
Sparky,FYI I’m american u fag..like I said you people are sick, and soon we’ll have a therapy for u guys. You homosexuals are like cancer in our society, you do not deserve to have children. If you decide to live as faggots then you should accept the fact that u CANNOT have progeny!!! Scientifically, biologically you are a faliure because you cannot pass your genes to the next generations, and I’m glad because we don’t need anymore fags in this world. If you faggots lived in different parts of the world besides the US, u would not be walking freely, your ass would be in prison where you belong. Damn all of you homosexuals,you will burn in HELL.
roel
@lena:
Hi Lena, if you put this message out to the world, you can expect the world to answer you. And you should listen to the world, as the world has to listen to you:
There are a lot of smart people in the world, much MUCH smarter than you and me, right? They found out through extensive research that homosexuality is not ‘unnatural’ (because it has always existed through history, and there is a lot of homosexuality in the animal world) and that it is not a ‘genetic defect’
In fact, the World Health Organization states clearly that it is not a sickness.. so does the World Psychiatric Organization, and many other important and highly regarded organizations. Do you think you are smarter than all those people?
So stop hoping for a therapy, because they will never find it – in fact, they are not looking because they now the will not find it.
-roel
roel
@lena:
Hi Lena, since you are American, I will state some American organizations that know more than you know, apparently: The American Medical Association, The American Psychiatric Association, The American Psychological Association, The American Psychoanalytic Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The (US) National Association of Social Workers
or are you prepared to state that you are smarter than all those people?
Just an example how – in your fear of what you don’t understand – you contradict yourself greatly: you say homosexuals ‘decide’ to live as such (so it’s a choice?), but you stated that it is a ‘genetic defect’ (so it’s not a choice?)
To help you decide, you can watch this educational cartoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PooEhBxh0NY
as for burning in hell, the Bible strictly and clearly restricts shrimp, en does not at all restrict slavery.. if God is love, then God condemns slavery, right? thus the Bible as such is not to be taken literary word for word.. if you enjoy a shrimp-cocktail, but condemn homosexuality, you better do some soul searching..
you can not use parts of the scripture to justify your fear of the unknown, and ignore other parts that don’t fit your life
and if your God doesn’t condemn slavery, He is not my God..
-roel
Soupy
Guys, homophobes who troll gay blogs are usually self loathing homosexuals themselves. Lena can’t get a gay date, and it makes her very angry.
roel
guys guys, I don’t hate Lena because she hates gays, I feel sorry for her she doesn’t (yet) understand what a lot of smart and smarter people do understand
keep calm, there are so many arguments to contradict what she says or thinks, all she has to offer really are her feelings of fear, angst, hate,.. but not a lot of arguments
you can’t help her feeling that way, but it is a choice to feel that way. homosexuality is not a choice.
-roel
kayla
@lena: Lena, you’re not very intelligent, are you…? I don’t say this to be mean, it’s simply an observation based on your silly, childish comments. Firstly, there is absolutely nothing preventing gay men and lesbians from passing their genes onto the next generation. In fact, the case in point on this very page deals with a BIOLOGICAL father, who is being denied the right to take his son home. He has quite successfully created progeny, but the powers that be are keeping father and son apart.
Are you such an immoral person, that you would rather see a child raised in an orphanage, than by his own father just to satisfy your outdated prejudices?
No need to answer that, I already know the answer….
Carlos
I feel sorry for the kid. The inseminator dad is totally stupid not to have had a lawyer who specializes in this stuff. All the problems were easily foreseeable.
Lena
Roel, well said! However,I still think that homosexuality is fundamentally wrong….perhaps I’m mistaken, I will try to read more about it and have a better understanding hopefully.
kryos
Yes, an orphanage is better than gay parents!!!!
roel
@Lena:
Lena, there are even homosexuals that think homosexuality is wrong – they lead miserable lives and often kill themselves, because they can’t help being gay – it’s not a choice.
please watch and try to really listen to this true story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYa0wi4XzeI
-roel
kryos
If it was up to me I would kill all homosexuals!!!!
Soupy
But it’s not up to you, is it?
Lena
And I do apologize for my earlier comments..it was very stupid and childish.
Kryos
I would shoot all of you mother fuckers( father fuckers)…even if I shoot one I will be happy!!
Kryos
Tim, you’re son of a whore and a pimp..that’s why turned out like this. I’m a texan, and in texas we shoot queers, like we shoot deers. We hunt ya’ll like animals, and ca’t wait to shoot one.
Kryos
All of you homoseexuals must die!!!!!
Gerda
I love gays, I want a gay-son for me!
Gerda
I will shoot at your balls
mark c
I’ve never seen such a nasty rant.
I wonder if there is anything our overworked state dept. can do to help these three?
Maybe the dads could work here?
Such a shame a babe left in fostercare when two parents want him so badly, and one is his only genetic DAD.
hephaestion
This is lunacy. They keep a man’s SON away from him for almost 3 years??! Barbarian. Immoral. Any way you look at it. I am outraged.
thecatcameback
@lena:
Homosexual babies are birthed by straight couples. They grow up to be homosexual adults. Maybe it’s time for y’all to start looking into some contraception.
Shannon1981
@thecatcameback: LOL so true
on a serious note, this situation is sick.
thematics
@Kyros: Copies of your comments have been forwarded to the FBUI because you’re making threats across state lines. When they investigate, they’ll obtain info from Qty on your IP addy & ISP.
Good luck to you as you face the consequences of your actions.
roel
@Lena: Hi Lena, if you’re serious about wanting to learn about what exactly ‘homosexuality’ is, and what research showed us, this website is a great tool: http://abouthomosexuality.com/
it contains no propaganda, but actual data from scientific studies, as well as other voices and statements from relgious groups etc..
I wish you al the best on your journey of discovery! ignorance is the most common cause of homophobia, which is understandable – what we don’t know/understand scares us
-roel
frederic
@gregger:
belgium half catholic, half lutheran? you have clearly no idea what you are talking about. It used to have a majority of roman-catholics but is becoming increasingly atheist. Churches in my country are empty. Anyway, don’t see why mainly americans want to prove europe is not that liberal. Try and pass the gay marriage and adoption legislation Belgium has in your country and we’ll talk again…
antonyvietnam
Nobody can separate the son from his father (or fathers)!
Justice is on Laurent and Peter’s side.
Don Melvin
Laurent & Peter, please get in touch with me. I work in Brussels for Associated Press, the international news agency, in and I would like to talk with you. My e-mail is [email protected]. Laurent et Peter, envoyez-moi un mot, s’il vous plait. Je travaille a Bruxelles pour Associated Press, une agence de press internationale, et je voudrais parler avec vous. Vous pouvez me contacter a [email protected].
Don Melvin
Don Melvin
Laurent & Peter, please get in touch with me. I work in Brussels for Associated Press, the international news agency, in and I would like to talk with you. My e-mail is [email protected]. Laurent et Peter, envoyez-moi un mot, s’il vous plait. Je travaille a Bruxelles pour Associated Press, une agence de press internationale, et je voudrais parler avec vous. Vous pouvez me contacter a [email protected].
— Don Melvin
roel
@Don Melvin: dear Melvin, I’ve send your message directly to Peter, but it’s obviously their choice to contact you..
BUT, *** GREAT NEWS TODAY! ***
Press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium (February 18th 2011)
Following the recent ruling by the Court in Brussels on Samuel Ghilain – who currently resides in Ukraine – Foreign Affairs will comply with the court order to deliver a passport to the child.
it seems the battle for Laurent and Peter to get their son home is finally at it’s end!
-roel