Thrissur (Kerala) : Thanks to a verdict by a Lok Adalat in Kerala, an elderly casual labourer and his wife have won the right to collect their deceased son’s semen from an infertility clinic and use it to have a surrogate child.
Ravi Kumar, 59, a casual labourer, and his 58-year-old wife Karthiyayani from Thrissur are overjoyed with the verdict. They have even found a woman who is willing to become a surrogate mother.
The couple had a son, Ratheesh, who was a student of sound engineering in Bangalore when he was diagnosed with a tumour in his testes. While he was being treated, doctors advised that his semen be collected and stored for further use. And that’s what he did. Ratheesh passed away at the age of 28 last year after contracting pneumonia.
“When we approached the infertility clinic requesting them to hand over our son’s semen, they said they can give it only if a court gives a ruling to this effect,” said Kumar.
Now the Lok Adalat in Kochi, in a ruling Monday, said the couple should make use of the semen within three months.
“We have now decided that we want to have a child from our son’s semen and we will go to any extent for it. Since it involves huge expenses, we have decided to sell our land and our small home,” said Karthiyayani, who works as a sweeper at a government hospital.