Italian couple loses custody of its daughter because they are “too old”

Turin, September 16, 2011
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A couple of 70 and 56 years old lost its daughter of just 15 months old after a lower court to consider that are too old to take care of her.

The couple had been treated in vitro in a foreign country following a long effort, as after marrying in 1990, tried it several times in Italy without success. Even they wanted to adopt, but the request was rejected.

They returned home happy with the girl but one day an unclear altercation sparked the nightmare. A group of neighbors complained that the man forgot the baby in the car for at least 45 minutes, but he says only let her sleep in the back seat until he took the food purchased in the market to his home.

After this incident the couple lost custody and the court found that the girl “might soon become orphaned, taking into account the age of the parents” who have “abused the enormous possibilities of assisted fertilization.” In addition, the judges said that “the girl could be forced to care for elderly parents with possible illnesses or perhaps handicapped.”

Gabriella is a librarian and Luigi Ambrosis retired and former mayor of a small town. Their grief is beyond compare. They said that can see the baby every 15 days and the damage they are doing to the girl is huge because she is deprived of being with her parents. They added that an injunction was presented to recover her. The case has sparked a huge controversy in Italy.