1 June 2007

BRUSSELS - Bart Philtjens, the biological father of "baby Donna," the child which a Flemish surrogate mother sold to a Dutch couple, has asked the court in Utrecht to divest the Dutch adoptive parents of custody and appoint him the girl's guardian. Het Laatste Nieuws reported this today.

Philtjens has also filed charges against the surrogate mother and the Dutch adoptive parents in a court in Oudenaarde for "kidnapping and hiding the child."

Philtjens also wants the Dutch couple to be watched for fear they might try to flee the country with the child.

A DNA test at the end of April showed that Philtjens was indeed the baby's biological father. The Flemish surrogate mother had agreed to carry the baby for Philtjens and his (now ex) wife but told them several months later that she had a miscarriage. 

She did in fact give birth to a baby and agreed to give her up for a significant amount of money to a Dutch couple she found on the internet. When confronted she claimed that the child was not actually Philtjen's. The DNA test in April showed that this was not the case.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news, Dutch news