Couple wins legal battle for lab life

KOCHI: Ending their agony for an offspring to look after them in their old age,  Ravikumar and Karthyani of Karukutty have won a favourable order from the permanent Lok Adalat in Ernakulam.The couple were waging a rare legal battle for the preserved semen of their son, and  the adalat directed the hospital to hand over the semen so that they could end their agony once and for all.  It could be the first time ever that a couple fought for their son’s semen for a surrogate child and finally they have won the battle. It was Express that had brought out the grievance of the couple in its reports dated December 30 last year and February 4 this year.The adalat bench directed that the couple  should jointly sign and issue a letter or receipt to the hospital acknowledging the receipt of cryo-preserved semen. It also made it clear that the release of the sample was solely at the risk of the couple and that the hospital will not  be liable or responsible for any complication, medically and legally arising out of the use of the sample.If the couple failed to comply with the condition,  the hospital could destroy the semen, said the bench of the adalat chairman D Pappachan and  members Johns Darrel and T Kamala Menon.The positive stand of the Centre for Infertility Management and Assisted Reproduction, Kochi, where the semen was preserved, also helped in alleviating their plight. The adalat also considered a report from  Dr Madhu, jr. consultant of district hospital, Aluva, counsel for the petitioner  P Aniyan told  Express. It was opined that for an In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intra- Cytoplasmic Sperm Injunction (ICSI), even very small quantity of sperm could be used to establish a pregnancy.It was about a year back that Ratheesh, 28, of Ernakulam died of pneumonia. The death of their only son has literally shattered Ravikumar and Karthyani, who are in their late 50s.