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.
Adir Yanko | Ynet News | April 11, 2022
Israel’s Health Ministry announced that single gay males or gay couples who have frozen embryos abroad, or are planning to freeze them until the end of April, can bring them to Israel for insemination via a surrogate.
J.Y. Lee | Medical Ethics | April 11, 2022
Ethical concerns of commercial surrogacy include exploitation of women and commodification of women’s reproductive capacity. Many countries ban commercial surrogacy to take money out of the equation, but this may oversimplify the virtues and morality of surrogacy arrangements.
Holly Hales | NCA NewsWire | April 5, 2022
A new dad became the first single man in Victoria to father a biological child through surrogacy. In Australia, strict surrogacy regulations ban paid surrogacy and require extensive counseling and screening for the biological parent.
Clio Yang | ABC News | February 21, 2022
Mr. Tsou and his husband are looking for international surrogacy arrangements because adoption by gay married couples is not legal in Taiwan. However, a couple of exceptions have been granted in the best interest of the child, and more inclusive ART legislation is being reviewed by the government.
Ellen Trachman | Above the Law | February 9, 2022
A gay couple welcomed a surrogate-born child in California, but were unable to register the child under both of their names back in Denmark, as parenthood cannot be shared there between two men. Though Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, they now need to extend surrogacy regulations to include same-sex male parents as well.
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.
Ailbhe Conneely | RTÉ News | January 21, 2022
Ireland established a special joint Oireachtas committee to discuss and regulate international surrogacy, especially regarding the rights and interest of the children in order to prevent child trafficking. Legislation suggested by the committee will be integrated into the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill.
Stuart Winer and TOI Staff | Times of Israel | January 4, 2022
Same-sex couples, single men, and transgender people can now become parents through surrogacy, an option previously denied to them in Israel. This ruling ends a decade-long legal battle that started with a petition filed by a gay couple in 2010. Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz also reassured prospective surrogates that the government is committed to protecting their rights and health.
Sarah Pritchard | BioNews | December 13, 2021
The Indian Parliament approved legislation to better regulate fertility and surrogacy practices in the country and protect the health of women involved. The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill 2021 aims to maintain a standard of infrastructure, equipment, and personnel at fertility clinics. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2020 proposes increased health insurance coverage to 36 months, prohibits paid surrogacy, and allows divorced or widowed women to have children through surrogacy. Criticism of the bills highlight the lack of inclusion of single parents and LGBTQ+ communities.
