Law prevents a cabby from falling in love

Aizawl, May 17 (UNI) A 24-year-old cabby had to bid adieu to his love baby, for, he is ''too young'' to be an adoptive father.

Indian Legal Adoption rules mandates a cabby to be more than 30, but less than 45 years of age, to become a single adoptive parent.

The cabby had no option but to deliver the seven-day old female child to the ''Friends of Children'' institute at Chaltlang here.

Some prospective adoptive parents were so choosy that they would rather go back empty-handed if they found the child to be of not their choice. That was how the taxi driver found his new love. He brought the anonymous childless couples to the hospital, but they, however, decided not to take the baby after seeing it. Then, the poor cabby could not help falling in love, and took the baby, said an Adoption Cell worker.

He brought it home to leave it under the tender care of his parents. The taxi driver's parents, who shared their son's love for the baby, had no problems in taking care of the baby except that they are ''too old'' - again! - to be adoptive parents according to the Adoption Law, which says prospective adoptive parents having composite age of 90 years and less and where neither parent has crossed 45 years can be considered for adoption of Indian children.

However, in case of 'special needs' children with medical problems, the age limit of adoptive parent(s) may be relaxed by concerned state government. The Adoption Law also states that the prospective parent(s) should have a regular source of income with a minimum average monthly income of at least Rs 3000. However, lower income will be considered taking into account other assets and support system, such as own house, etc.

A number of child adoptions have been done through the Friends of Children, which presently has three abandoned children, including the taxi driver's 'child'.

Some prospective adoptive children were such that they chose spastic children, and even AIDS-affected children. Such kind of love was truly heart-touching in a world where a mother wants to abandon her own child, a worker at Friends of Children said.

UNI