Greek Health Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis has fired the chairman of the National Service for Assisted Reproduction while the Center for In Vitro Fertilization in Chania on the island of Crete is under investigation by the police and judicial authorities, Greek state television ERT reported, quoted by BTA.
Eight employees and associates of the center are accused of illegal adoptions, the apparent implantation of embryos of women undergoing in vitro fertilization and the exploitation of vulnerable women who were used as egg donors and surrogate mothers.
The file opened by the Greek police against the detainees refers to participation in a criminal group, human trafficking, mediation in the adoption of minors, violations of the law on the implementation of assisted reproduction, forgery of documents, violation of family law, fraud, bodily harm and violation of drug legislation. A 73-year-old gynecologist from Chania is said to be the leader of the criminal group. Also suspected of participation are a 44-year-old clinical embryologist, employees of the Center for in vitro fertilization, a biologist, as well as a woman from Romania and two women from Georgia.
The Romanian woman and the two Georgian women are believed to have brokered the attraction of poor women, mostly from the Balkans, who agreed to give birth for a fee. Their “reward” was only between 300 and 600 euros, and during the pregnancy they remained locked up in apartments in Chania and only came out for medical examinations. The women were also subjected to hormone therapy. According to the information, the babies were sold for amounts from 70 thousand to 120 thousand euros. By prosecutor’s order, two surrogate mothers were transferred to the hospital in Chania, where they gave birth to healthy children.
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2023-08-12 15:50:00
#Illegal #adoption #scandal
