Chennai: A 16-year-old girl who was forced to donate her oocytes, or ovary egg cells, by her mother and her stepfather attempted suicide on Wednesday, police said.
The girl, who is lodged in a shelter home after the police arrested her mother, stepfather and two others for the forcible donation, attempted suicide by drinking floor cleaner, but was rushed to Erode government medical college hospital and her condition is now stable.
The girl, according to the police, attempted to commit suicide after her request to shift her from the government shelter home to her relative’s place went unheeded.
Forced to sell her oocytes, the girl had run away from home and complained to the police. She had told police that she was taken to fertility clinics at Erode, Salem, Krishnagiri, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
The police had arrested the girl’s mother who admitted to the crime and said that an agent called Malathi was behind this. The family was given Rs 20,000 for each sale of oocytes out of which the agent used to pocket Rs 6,000.
Surampatty police station inspector, P. Vijaya told media persons that the girl who is lodged in the government shelter home had repeatedly requested the authorities to allow her to go to her relative’s place in Salem. This was denied, leading to the girl’s suicide bid.
–IANS