New laws banning commercial surrogacy in Thailand have come into effect, ending access previously available to foreigners and gay couples.
The new laws mark an end to a debate over commercial surrogacy triggered in 2014 after a Western Australian couple left a surrogate twin boy behind in Thailand when they were told he was suffering from Down’s syndrome. They took home his healthy sister, Pipah.
The initial controversy triggered an immediate backlash in Thailand, forcing commercial surrogate operators to close shop.
Under the new law, a couple, a man and a woman, must be legally married for at least three years with one or both holding Thai nationality.
The surrogate mother is required to be a sibling of the couple, but not the parents or the couple’s children. The surrogate woman must also have her own child and have her husband’s consent.
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If the woman is not a relative of the couple, the woman needs to meet regulations laid down by the Thai public health ministry.
Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin said foreign couples would no longer be able to seek surrogacy services in Thailand.
Homosexuals are no longer allowed to access the service because Thailand has not yet legalised same-sex marriage, Rajata told The Nation newspaper.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: New laws in Thailand banning commercial surrogacy have come into effect, ending a long-running debate triggered by the Baby Gammy case in 2014.
