- Title: THAILAND-SURROGACY/LAW Thailand's new surrogacy law to be effective from July 30
- Date: 29th July 2015
- Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (FILE - AUGUST 14, 2014) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** POLICE WALKING INTO SURROGACY CLINIC MAN SITTING AT COUNTER PICTURES ON TABLE EXPLAINING EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT POLICE TAKING PHOTO / PEOPLE SITTING INSIDE CLINIC POLICE TALKING ON PHONE SIGN ON WALL READING (English): "NEWLIFE IVF THAILAND" / PEOPLE SITTING CLINIC STAFF STANDING
- Embargoed: 13th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Thailand
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA7BPD0SJC6Z9WHQRXRS9O11M82
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: PART AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING
Thailand announced on Wednesday (July 29) its new surrogacy law will be effective from July 30 onwards and outlined the provisions barring surrogacy from being commercialised.
Following a string scandals last year, Thailand's interim parliament passed the law in February, banning foreigners from seeking surrogacy services to end a "rent-a-womb" industry that made the Southeast Asian country a top destination for fertility tourism.
Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin on Wednesday said this new law is designed to help legally married Thai couples conceive their own child through the use of fertility technology. Mixed-race couples, where either the wife or husband must be Thai, must be legally married for at least three years, he said.
The new law also states that the surrogate mother must not only have been through pregnancy before, but must also be a Thai national and a relative of either the wife or husband. If both the husband and wife are single children and have no blood relatives, the ministry will decide their suitability on a case-by-case basis.
Any kind of the technology used for commercial purposes, however, is prohibited.
"The wife and husband who have a surrogate mother are prohibited from refusing to take in the child as their own and all kinds surrogacy done for commercial purposes are prohibited," Rajata told reporters on Wednesday.
Critics nevertheless say making commercial surrogacy illegal could push the industry underground, making it harder for patients to access quality physicians and medical care.
Kamtorn Preuksananont, a member of the Sub-committee on Fertility Medicine, meanwhile clarified the situation for same-sex couples.
"This law does not close any paths for same sex couples. It states that it must be a married husband and wife as according to Thai law. Once the law approves same sex marriage, this law will adapt automatically," he said.
Those who violate the law by performing surrogacy for money can face up to 10 years in prison and a 200,000 baht ($5,724.45) fine. Doctors and brokers involved in unlawful surrogacy services also face jail time and a hefty fine.
Last year, six out of 45 surrogate service agencies were closed down after being raided, according to the Health Ministry.
Some 2,000 cases of surrogacy are recorded each year, officials said on Wednesday. No details were given about the nationality of those recorded.
Thailand has been a popular destination for foreign couples seeking surrogacy services, partly because of loose regulations and low costs compared with some other countries.
The latest controversy surrounds a gay couple who said their lives were being "destroyed" after a Thai surrogate mother refused to sign papers allowing them to take their baby out of Thailand.
Several cases also occurred last year, including accusations that an Australian couple abandoned their Down Syndrome baby with his birth mother, taking only his healthy twin sister back to Australia, and a Japanese man who allegedly hired dozens of woman to surrogate his babies.
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