The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, August 5, reports News18.
The bill that provides constitution of Surrogacy boards, at national and state levels, will ensure that the intending couples do not leave or abandon a surrogate child under any circumstance.
Claiming this bill was the “need of the hour”, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said:
A rough estimate says there are about 2,000-3000 surrogacy clinics running illegally in the country and a few thousand foreign couples resort to surrogacy practise within India and the whole issue is thoroughly unregulated.
The bill will allow only close relatives to act as surrogates for an infertile couple. This has been mandated for ‘ethical altruistic’ reasons.
Speaking on growing exploitation, Harsh Vardhan further explained:
There have been reports concerning unethical practises, abandonment of children born out of surrogacy and exploitation of surrogate mothers.
Proposed only after the 228th report of the Law Commission, the bill had recommended that the government should enact a legislation to ensure that there is only restrictive surrogacy in the country.
This will also seek to end commercial surrogacy in the future, appropriating a blanket ban.
Further, only Indian couples legally married for at least 5 years would be allowed to opt for surrogacy.
Apart from bringing in new changes in the Surrogacy law, proper inspection of clinics will take place as part of the new bill.