Four Corners Made in Thailand
It took just one phone call from a Thai journalist to expose the plight of 'Baby Gammy' and to send shockwaves through the Thai surrogacy industry. But it wasn't just people in Thailand who felt the impact. Some Australians found themselves with newborn babies that they couldn't take home. This week, Four Corners reporter Debbie Whitmont is there as one of these families tries desperately to find a way out of the situation. As she tells the story of this couple and their twins, she also takes us inside an industry that has grown with little effective regulation, leaving it exposed to unscrupulous agents.
Four Corners is Australia's premier television current affairs program. It has been part of the Australian story since August 1961, exposing scandals, triggering inquiries, firing debate, confronting taboos and interpreting fads, trends and sub-cultures. Its consistently high standards of journalism and film-making have earned international recognition and an array of Walkleys, Logies and other national awards.
Primary Title
- Four Corners
Secondary Title
- Made in Thailand
Date Broadcast
- Thursday 13 November 2014
Start Time
- 22 : 00
Finish Time
- 22 : 45
Duration
- 45:00
Channel
- Australia Plus
Broadcaster
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Programme Description
- Four Corners is Australia's premier television current affairs program. It has been part of the Australian story since August 1961, exposing scandals, triggering inquiries, firing debate, confronting taboos and interpreting fads, trends and sub-cultures. Its consistently high standards of journalism and film-making have earned international recognition and an array of Walkleys, Logies and other national awards.
Episode Description
- It took just one phone call from a Thai journalist to expose the plight of 'Baby Gammy' and to send shockwaves through the Thai surrogacy industry. But it wasn't just people in Thailand who felt the impact. Some Australians found themselves with newborn babies that they couldn't take home. This week, Four Corners reporter Debbie Whitmont is there as one of these families tries desperately to find a way out of the situation. As she tells the story of this couple and their twins, she also takes us inside an industry that has grown with little effective regulation, leaving it exposed to unscrupulous agents.
Classification
- Not Classified
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Documentary television programs--Australia
- Surrogate motherhood--Economic aspects
- Surrogate motherhood--Social aspects
- Surrogate motherhood--Thailand
Hosts
- Kerry O'Brien (Host)
Contributors
- Debbie Whitmont (Reporter)
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Production Unit)
Subjects
- Documentary television programs--Australia
- Surrogate motherhood--Economic aspects
- Surrogate motherhood--Social aspects
- Surrogate motherhood--Thailand