Mary and Peter McDonnell, a couple from Northern Ireland, who had a baby via surrogacy in Ukraine, have made an urgent appeal to bring him home from the warzone. The baby named Jaunty Beau was born on January 31, and his parents have been trying to bring him home since. The McDonnells recounted that they decided to explore surrogacy as an option after their 16-year-old daughter Ellie died in 2020.
The couple initiated their surrogacy journey before the war broke out. The McDonnells went to Ukraine in August 2021 for medical appointments and to get the embryos created. As Russia invaded Ukraine, the embryos were evacuated from the surrogacy clinic. However, last year the couple was contacted to inform them that the process could restart. The embryos were successfully planted in the surrogate, and the couple travelled to Kyiv at the end of January 2022.
Jaunty Beau has had to spend time in an air raid shelter in Kyiv due to the conflict. Speaking out about their situation, Mary called it “terrifying,” continually worried about getting blown up. The couple has called upon the UK government to help expedite their passport and identity interview processes. Jaunty Beau was unwell shortly after he was born, stopped breathing, turned blue, and the doctors think he could have something wrong with his brain. Therefore, the baby needs to be treated by doctors in Belfast, however, the identity interview process with Peter to expedite the passport is scheduled to be in three weeks.
Surrogacy’s controversial topic is legal in Ukraine, and the McDonnells, post the death of their daughter, Ellie, believe it was the right choice for their family. They hope to start their new chapter together with the homecoming of Jaunty Beau. Meanwhile, the situation remains tense as Kyiv is still under the war zone
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