Gay couple to be fathers again

Dr Kirsty Horsey

Progress Educational Trust

22 August 2003

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[BioNews, London] Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow, the millionaire gay couple who had twins in 1999 using an egg donor, IVF and a surrogate mother from the US, have announced the birth of their third child, born a week ago, according to the Daily Mail. Their healthy baby boy, Orlando, was born to a Californian surrogate by emergency caesarian. Orlando's biological father is Tony, meaning that he is half brother to Saffron but fully genetically related to Aspen.

The couple first announced in June 2000 that they were expecting more babies. Four embryos, from a batch of 24 that had been frozen after the twins were conceived, were transferred to a new surrogate, however that pregnancy did not reach full term. All of the embryos, including those used in this latest successful attempt, were produced using sperm from both men and eggs from the donor, Tracie McCune.

According to reports in 2000, the Drewitt-Barlows were planning to emigrate to America to escape public hostility, and because the Home Office intially threatened not to allow the twins to stay in the UK because they are US citizens and the UK did not recognise the two men as their fathers. But they decided to stay in the UK after the Home Office granted the twins leave to remain. Nevertheless, they imagine that hostility is likely to be reignited by their latest announcement. Defending his family, Tony Drewitt-Barlow (formerly Barlow) said 'we are a new kind of family, but in ten years' time, we wont be', adding 'you have to break the rules sometimes'.

Reproduced with permission from BioNews, an email and online sources of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and genetics.