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Twins born to 'sterilised' woman in Tamil Nadu

A correspondent in Salem

Ayyakutty and his wife Vijaya of Kuttathupatti village in Salem district have sworn to take doctors of Salem district government hospital to court. Vijaya delivered boy twins two years after she underwent a family planning operation.

"I am taking them to court. It's rank negligence and callousness," said Ayyakutty, 30, who cleans coconut fibre for the coir industry for a living.

Showing a certificate which confirmed that Vijaya underwent sterilisation, he said that after his wife conceived, the doctors gave her vitamin tablets, claiming they would abort the foetus.

A baby boy was born to the couple after two girls, three years back. This is when the couple decided to go in for a family planning operation.

Vijaya was operated and was sent home, with an assurance that she would not bear anymore children.

"We were finding it difficult to make ends meet. Vijaya too had to undertake odd jobs," recalled Ayyakutty. "That is why we decided to limit our family."

In a region where female infanticide is the highest in the country, a semi-literate daily-wage earner and his illiterate wife taking to family planning is not common.

Last year, Vijaya suspected that she may have conceived again. After waiting for some time, she went to the hospital. "We took the family planning certificate along," recalled Ayyakutty.

"The doctors just gave her some pills and said everything would be alright," he remembered.

Vijaya had two babies on Saturday afternoon, through normal delivery. One of them, however, died soon after.

"He had to borrow money to meet the expenses. Yet, he distributed sweets among friends and neighbours," said a neighbour.

It was only after he spoke to friends that Ayyakutty thought of taking the doctors to court.

"We are saddled with a child we did not want. Let them pay for his upkeep," he said.

"We are upset over the death of the other child, nevertheless," said Vijaya, weeping.

"We did not want our children to grow up in pain and poverty. Now, not only will we have to bring up an unwanted child, but we also have to deal with a death in the family," she added.

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