18 September,2018 12:38 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
Lisa Ray. Picture Courtesy: Instagram/lisaraniray
On Monday, actress Lisa Ray took to her Instagram account to announce the birth of her twin daughters via surrogacy. The Indo-Canadia actress wants to highlight that speaking about surrogacy in the open will slowly vanish the stigma attached to it.
Lisa started her career by featuring in a music video in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's song, Afreen Afreen, and later, went on to do films like Kasoor and Water. In her Instagram post, Lisa has revealed the reason she opted for surrogacy and not the traditional way of carrying the babies in her womb. Lisa, who embraced motherhood at 46, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009 and was declared cancer-free in 2010. However, she is on a life-long medication and therefore couldn't carry the babies for herself.
"Having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a form of blood cancer) in 2009, which requires me to be on a lifelong dose of medication, pre-empted the possibility for me to carry children myself. Fortunately, technology has progressed where there are choices and new possibilities for having children," said Ray in an interview to Bombay Times.
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She further added, "My husband and I decided to pursue surrogacy. India was the obvious choice. We consulted a reputed fertility doctor, but a week before we could begin, India outlawed commercial surrogacy. We were crushed. While I understand the pressing need to regulate the industry and prevent exploitation of surrogate mothers, it was a case of literally throwing out the baby with the bath water. But, I was determined. My husband and I were advised we could continue the process in India and that there were 'ways'. But we did not want to bring our children into the world under a cloud of uncertainty."
Lisa and Jason have named their daughters Sufi - the mystic - and Soleil - the French word for 'sun'. "They were born via surrogacy in Tbilisi, Georgia, in June. "It has been an arduous and interesting experience," said Lisa.
Also Read: Lisa Ray: My Appearance Is Not A Source Of Insecurity
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