Commercial surrogacy bill passes first reading with 177 to 2 votes

[webfact]

Commercial surrogacy bill passes first reading with 177 to 2 votes
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE NATIONAL Legislative Assembly yesterday passed the first reading of a bill that seeks to outlaw commercial surrogacy.

First reading passed with 177 to 2 votes. Six NLA members abstained.

The interim chamber set up a special committee of 18 members to vet the bill in 30 days.

The bill was approved by the National Council for Peace and Order in late August after it was reported that an Australian couple had left a Down syndrome baby with his Thai surrogate mother.

The bill seeks to regulate assisted reproductive technologies (ART) by setting up a committee to protect babies born through such methods. The committee would also be in charge of regulating and monitoring ART services and ethics.

The bill also seeks to punish women who agree to become surrogate mothers for money. Each would be liable to a maximum 10-year imprisonment and a maximum fine of Bt200,000.

A surrogate mother would also be required to sign a contract with the biological parents that the baby will become the child of the parents legally.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Pol General Adul Saengsingkaew told the NLA that the bill sought to specify the legal status of the biological parents and to prevent abuse of ART technologies.

During the debate before the passage of first reading, NLA member Pirom Kamolratanakul said the reference to artificial insemination in Article 2 should be removed from the bill because artificial insemination could be carried out without having a surrogate mother.

NLA member Wallop Tangkhananurak said he disagreed with the penalties specified in the bill because clinics and doctors would receive less severe punishments than surrogate mothers in cases of commercial surrogacy.

Adul replied that the bill sought to punish all sides involved in commercial surrogacy and it was aimed at protecting surrogate babies and suppressing human trafficking.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Commercial-surrogacy-bill-passes-first-reading-wit-30248734.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-28

[Fiddlesticks]

The bill also seeks to punish women who agree to become surrogate mothers for money. Each would be liable to a maximum 10-year imprisonment and a maximum fine of Bt200,000.

Well, that effectively kills the surrogacy movement in Thailand. No give me money, no give you baby.

[JOC]

>>The bill also seeks to punish women who agree to become surrogate mothers for money. Each would be liable to a maximum 10-year imprisonment and a maximum fine of Bt200,000<< Quote

Meanwhile in another place in Thailand:

4 wellconnected highranking policeofficers were released on bail after only a few hours in the slammer!!

But ofcourse they only stole of few billions and broke every rule in the book!!

[ramrod711]

The bill also seeks to punish women who agree to become surrogate mothers for money. Each would be liable to a maximum 10-year imprisonment and a maximum fine of Bt200,000.

A surrogate mother would also be required to sign a contract with the biological parents that the baby will become the child of the parents legally.

A contract to prevent the mothers from keeping the babies is reasonable. Expecting the mother to do it for nothing is ridiculous.

[webfact]

Thai parliament votes to ban commercial surrogacy
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP |

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's parliament has voted to ban commercial surrogacy after outrage erupted over the largely unregulated industry following allegations an Australian couple abandoned a baby with Down's syndrome, a legislator said Friday.

A draft bill -- which would see anyone profiting off surrogacy given a maximum ten year prison sentence -- passed its first reading in the country's military-stacked parliament on Thursday, legislator Wallop Tungkananurak said.

"We want to put an end to this idea in foreigners' minds that Thailand is a baby factory," he told AFP.

"The bill was adopted with overwhelming support."

Commercial surrogacy was technically banned by Thailand's Medical Council, but until recently even top fertility clinics were believed to offer the service.

The murky industry came under intense scrutiny this summer after a series of surrogacy scandals broke involving foreigners.

In August, a Thai mother who carried twin babies for an Australian couple accused them of abandoning a baby boy with Down's syndrome while taking his healthy sister.

The couple have denied deliberately leaving the boy, called Gammy, with the surrogate mother -- who was paid around $15,000 to carry the twins.

In a separate case, police believe a Japanese man fathered at least 15 babies with surrogate mothers for unknown motives.

A gay Australian couple were also stopped from leaving Thailand with a baby because they had incomplete documents.

Thailand's military junta, which took over in a May coup, vowed to crack down on the industry.

Dozens, possibly hundreds, of foreign couples are thought to have been left in limbo after entering into surrogacy arrangements through clinics in the kingdom.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-11-28

[chooka]

Excellent move by the junta. Stop paedophiles and other assorted deviates and misfits from coming to Thailand for designer babies.

[Roadman]

The bill also seeks to punish women who agree to become surrogate mothers for money. Each would be liable to a maximum 10-year imprisonment and a maximum fine of Bt200,000.

A surrogate mother would also be required to sign a contract with the biological parents that the baby will become the child of the parents legally.

A contract to prevent the mothers from keeping the babies is reasonable. Expecting the mother to do it for nothing is ridiculous.

Read the headline again...the bit about "commercial surrogacy". So the expectation and the draft of the bill basis was that Thai surrogacy is not about money but that basic thing that say a sister would do for another sister who may not be able to bear children...that thing is not money but love. No different than most western countries. Edited November 28, 2014 by Roadman

[zaphod reborn]

Excellent move by the junta. Stop paedophiles and other assorted deviates and misfits from coming to Thailand for designer babies.

Proper regulation rather than an outright ban would have been the more progressive way of approaching this issue. Many women are unable to carry a fetus to term due to various medical conditions, and a surrogate mother is the only option available if they want their own children. Surrogacy is almost always a commercial transaction as someone is paid to carry a baby to term, and the natural parents become responsible for all medical expenses.

Edited November 28, 2014 by zaphod reborn

[maidee]

yes, make it illegal, same as abortion & some soft drugs

way to go

will solve all problems