ABC Radio’s AM presenter Sabra Lane was unable to hide her emotions on Tuesday morning after the program broadcast a heart-wrenching story about a little girl who was allegedly abandoned in Ukraine by her US surrogate parents.
Authentic radio from @SabraLane reflecting how we felt about the surrogacy story from Ukraine. #rnbreakfast
— 💧 greg clarke (@gregclarke) August 19, 2019
The ABC Canberra veteran broke down live on air and struggled to read the finance report immediately after airing the Ukraine story.
I am crying too after hearing that story, and Sabra’s very human reaction. That story was distressing but an excellent and important investigation by Samantha Hawley. Will be thinking of that baby girl. https://t.co/TxQ0kIQ9ZV
— Angela Priestley (@angelapriestley) August 19, 2019
The response to Lane’s raw emotion was supportive, with many listeners contacting Radio National’s Breakfast program to offer support. The host, Hamish Macdonald, thanked readers for their concern.
Lane responded to the outpouring of supporting, writing on Twitter: “Tweeps, thank you all for your concern. I’m a big softie at heart, and now the nation knows. I was totally pole-axed by @samanthahawley – and bewildered by humanity.”
Glad you are doing okay, @SabraLane - you should know our wonderful @RNBreakfast listeners have flooded us with so much love and support for you this morning.
— Hamish Macdonald (@hamishNews) August 19, 2019
Thank you for always bringing us the news with your smarts and you heart. https://t.co/gBRjzFSCpI
On social media, listeners thanked Lane for her very human reaction to a tragic story.
Quite deeply touched by @SabraLane s humanity , it’s a beautiful and rare commodity these days ....
— Black&White Knight (@bruce_ian) August 19, 2019
The Australian Capital Territory Council of Social Service said Lane always demonstrated “supreme professionalism” and showed a “totally human response this morning to the horrors big and small that you present every morning”.
Very moved by @SabraLane there. Such a professional - a very rare story for her to lose her composure (abandoned children).
— Kate Evans (@HistoryGirlKate) August 19, 2019
The child, Bridget Irmgard Pagan-Etnyre, was carried by a Ukrainian surrogate mother for Matthew Scott Etnyre, 39, and Irmgard Pagan, 61, according to a report to air on Foreign Correspondent on Tuesday.
The ABC foreign correspondent Samantha Hawley traced the child to the Sonechko children’s home where she spoke to one of her carers, a paediatric nurse, Marina Boyko, who had developed a strong bond with her.
Virtual hugs to @SabraLane as her 😢show the emotion we should all feel upon reading such a story. Thank you @ForeignOfficial for forcing us to confront & hopefully address such important ethical issues. https://t.co/bW6FVnr3Jc
— Simon Birmingham (@Birmo) August 19, 2019
“You can’t judge a child as soon as it’s born – ‘We don’t like this child, we wanted you to have a Hollywood smile upon birth’”, Boyko said of the Americans’ decision to leave Bridget in Ukraine.
“I would say to them that they have an amazing daughter.”
Very easy to become desensitised to the sadness we're exposed to every day as journalists, but the best professionals are the ones who embrace their own humanity instead of working in spite of it @SabraLane
— Sally Spicer (@SallySpicer4) August 19, 2019
