(PCM) Samuel Forrest, a New Zealand man living in Armenia, is making headlines after he refuses to give his newborn baby, born with Downs Syndrome, up for adoption.
When the child was born the doctor came out and said to Forrest, “There’s a real problem with your son” and then they took him back to see his son. Forrest responded to the doctor saying “He’s beautiful — he’s perfect and I’m absolutely keeping him”.
However, his Armeniab wife had other ideas and informed Forrest that if he didn’t agree to put the baby up for adoption than she was going to leave him. When he refused, the wife filed for divorce just one week after little Leo was born.
It seems that when a baby is born with Downs Syndrome in Armenia, the hospital gives parents the option right away of putting the baby up for adoption. Forrests’ wife had already made that decision behind his back without first speaking with her husband.
In the country of Armenia, it is the social norm to be non-accepting of children born with certain birth defects and/or imperfections. The families often feel that an orphanage is a safe option for these children. Hopefully with more awareness to these types of situations things can begin to change for the better in these areas of the world.
Even, the wife’s family was urging Forrest to put the child up for adoption and he was unfortunately no longer welcome in the family’s home.
Forrest who is a freelance business contractor will take baby Leo and move back in with his family who have agreed to help him out with raising the child. He has also started a GoFundMe page to help raise some additional funds to assist with baby Leo’s care.
Forrest started out with a $60,000 target and has already well-surpassed that number garnering tons of supporters who were touched by this story across the globe. Thus far Forrest has raised over $481,000! He plans to donate the additional funds received to help support abandoned children in Armenia and families with disabled children.