Man throws wife of 18 years and two daughters out of the house since she couldn't give him a baby boy; gets a son conceived at Jaslok Hospital through illegal surrogacy
Prakash Bhostekar threw out his wife Shubhangi and their daughters (aged 14 and 4 years) because he wanted a son
Prakash Bhostekar was willing to go to any length to get a son. So when his wife of 18 years could not give him a boy, he booted her and their two daughters - aged 14 and 4 years - out of the house. Nine months later, she found out that he now had a son, a boy that Jaslok Hospital gave to him via an illegal surrogacy.
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Prakash Bhostekar
"He always wanted a son, but when I refused to give my consent for surrogacy, he threw me out with my two daughters. Then he opted for surrogacy without my consent. Now he is living with his surrogate son, and has washed his hands off his other two children," said Shubhangi, who has also blamed Jaslok Hospital for ruining her and her childrens' lives. The surrogacy was handled by Dr Firuza Parikh, director of IVF and genetics at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre.
Also read - Birth of a controversy: Debate on surrogacy engages nation
Prakash Bhostekar with his wife Shubhangi and elder daughter
Anything for a son
Shubhangi and Prakash met in college and got married in 1998. In the 18 years of their marriage, Shubhangi gave birth to two daughters (now 14 and 4 years old), but Prakash allegedly began torturing her for her failure to produce a son.
She alleged that he also forced to her to get abortions twice, in 2013 and 2014, when he found out that she was pregnant with a daughter. "A doctor used to come to our house for the sex determination test. After my younger daughter was born in 2009, I got pregnant twice and was forced to abort the foetus, as it was a girl," she said.
Also read: Cabinet adopts bill to abort commercial surrogacy
Prakash also tried to conceive a son through IVF treatment at Jaslok Hospital in 2014, under none other than Dr Parikh. But the biggest blow came when she refused to give consent for a surrogate birth. Prakash threw Shubhangi and the kids out in January 2016 and then proceeded with the surrogacy on his own. On October 2016, her neighbour informed her that Prakash now had a son.
"My husband had told my elder daughter that he had adopted a son. Later, my neighbour confirmed it and I filed an FIR," she said.
Why it's illegal
A married person cannot opt for surrogacy without the consent of their partner - this is why Prakash gave Shubhangi the boot when she refused. But he then applied for the process with a bogus affidavit claiming that he was a single man.
The surrogacy can also be deemed illegal because the child was possibly conceived before the agreement was even signed. "The surrogacy agreement was signed in January and the child was born in September, which proves that the surrogate mother had conceived before signing the papers," said Shubhangi.
But the most damning allegation that she has made is that Dr Parikh was in on the fraud and even connived with Prakash to conduct a sex determination test and ensure that he got only a son this time. "The hospital did a pre-natal sex determination test to fulfil the promise of providing a son to my husband," said Shubhangi.
'It was a mistake'
Prakash admitted to the illegal activity, but countered with an allegation of his own: "My wife was committing adultery and I was not in a state of mind to think. When I procured the affidavit stating I am single, she was not staying with me so I thought it was normal. The hospital didn't know about it and they weren't involved in any sex selection of the child."
Also read: Maharashtra government seeks suggestions on regulating IVF centres, surrogacy
"I have made a mistake, and because of me, the hospital and Dr Parikh are being dragged into it," he added.
Hospital says
Speaking to mid-day, Dr Parikh said only, "We have followed all protocols and there is no mistake from our end." Sources in Jaslok Hospital said that it is technically not possible to determine the sex of a foetus at such an early stage.
As for the bogus documents, an official said, "We didn't know that the affidavit was fake. It is not possible to check the authenticity of all patients by knocking on their doors. Also, Dr Parikh last saw the patient three years ago for 30 minutes, and it is not feasible to remember the faces of all the patients."
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