Wed 6 Apr 2016 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
The comments from the New Zealand gay couple who are currently in Mexico attempting to come back home with their three babies have offended and angered their surrogacy lawyer who says "the truth isn't all there". Nicky and David Beard described Mexico as a “dangerous country” and say they are trapped in a “hell hole”. They also described the hospital where one of the children was born as “cockroach infested”. The couple’s lawyer, León Altamirano, who specialises in surogacy, has spoken out following these comments and told The Guardian, “There are no problems”. “They need to sign some affidavits and some consents for the adoption … but they are not stuck here … They already have the birth certificates and they have the apostille [authentification] of the birth certificate. They also have the CURP [Mexican identification] of the babies.” The Beards told stuff.co.nz that they have NZD$118,132 of debt to pay and face costs including traveling to Mexico City to obtain passports for the babies and DNA test proving parentage. A Give A Little page was set up by a friend of the couple, to help them raise the money they say they need to fly back to New Zealand with the ‘triplings’. So far over $28 000 has been raised for the couple. Altamirano says the couple are in debt with no money to bring the babies back to New Zealand but that the main remaining cost was notarising their documents, costing around $1700. He told The Guardian, “On the legal side, he has everything he needs.” He went on to comment on the choice of words the couple have used in their online plea, “I didn’t understand why on the interview he said that at the place where the babies were born there were cockroaches. It’s a private clinic, you can get everything here.” “He wrote something that this was a hell hole. I thought, ‘What’s wrong with you?’” “I’m pretty sure what he was trying to do was get the sympathy of the readers, I don’t know what he is trying to do, but the truth isn’t all there.” The news outlet also reports that a man who met the Beards in Tabasco at the registry and who also has had a baby born to a surrogate mother, says the couple told him something different than what they’ve described in their pleas. He told The Guardian, “They said they had nothing but good things to say about the people in Mexico. We were staying at the same hotel and [they] said wonderful things about the hotel and that everywhere they went, people were kind and helpful. “I was surfing the web and found this news about these guys from New Zealand telling a totally different story. “It’s very nice to hear people from outside [the country] talk well of Mexico. I’m kind of shocked because I was surfing the web and found this news about these guys from New Zealand telling a totally different story. “I really got mad because you can’t do that ... I really feel offended … having someone say that their babies were born around cockroaches is really offensive.” Jorge also revealed the Beards spoke of their financial fears. “He told me that it was going to be a huge financial issue having three babies. He wasn’t prepared to have three babies and that when he went home he was going to try to become a judge because he was going to need the income.” Gaynz.com Daily News has tried to reach the couple for comment however they are not responding to media requests.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 6th April 2016 - 9:10am