The Times of India | January 24, 2023
Surrogacy laws in India are caught between conflicting interests of stakeholders. The state aims to protect the surrogate from exploitation, but banning surrogacy may infringe on women’s right to reproductive autonomy and limit opportunities for parenthood.
Team MP | millenniumpost | December 8, 2022
The State Health Department in Kolkata has clarified the guidelines regulating surrogacy in India, which came into effect in January 2021. They detail the medical conditions that permit a woman to opt for surrogacy and stipulate that the intending parents must be married and fall within a particular age range.
The Hindu | November 8, 2022
Petitioners challenging India’s surrogacy law–including the ban on payment–argue that it violates the right to reproductive autonomy, which they deem a part of the right to privacy guaranteed in the Constitution. But the Indian government opposes any dilution of the law.
Naman Ramachandran | Variety | October 5, 2022
A new film, “Mariam,” follows the breadwinner of an Indian migrant family who travels to Mumbai in search of work. The title character takes on an illegal surrogate pregnancy to earn money to support her family.
Ashish Tripathi | Deccan Herald | September 26, 2022
India’s Supreme Court will examine a challenge to the 2021 Surrogacy Act and Assisted Reproduction Act. The petition contends that the ban on commercial surrogacy may result in the exploitation of women within the family under the guise of altruistic surrogacy.
Rohitha Naraharisetty | The Swaddle | September 26, 2022
While international surrogacy makes parenthood possible for some, it also operates within global systems of inequality that leave surrogates with little recognition or power.
Priyanka Sharma | Livemint | June 23, 2022
Couples in India who wish to start a family through surrogacy must purchase health insurance for their surrogate to cover pregnancy complications for a period of 36 months after giving birth from an accredited insurance company.
Charu Sudan Kasturi | Business Insider | June 8, 2022
India’s commercial surrogacy ban may be driving intended parents to Georgia, where commercial surrogacy is not only legal but also relatively inexpensive. Georgia’s laws also favor intended parents, because the surrogate has no legal parentage rights to the child.
Amrit Dhillon | South China Morning Post | April 16, 2022
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act outlawed commercial surrogacy in India in December 2021. Though some worry about the emergence of a black market, Dr. Manish Banker argues that the law is fair and protects surrogates and newborns.
Aastha Atray Banan | Mid-Day | February 6, 2022
India recently passed new Surrogacy and ART Acts, banning commercial surrogacy and germline cell sales, respectively. In this interview, author Pinki Virani acknowledges that the acts will promote a more regulated, less money-oriented fertility industry by eliminating the sale-purchase aspect of sperm and eggs and putting power in the hands of surrogates. On the other hand, Virani believes that there are still risks with IVF and third-party reproduction due to the complexity of sourcing sex cells, fertilization, implantation, and birth. In particular, she urges patients to undergo thorough screening processes to reduce the risk of genetic siblings unknowingly becoming a couple.