VOA | March 10, 2024
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is drafting legislation to legalize compensated surrogacy for local and foreign couples. Critics are concerned that the country’s limited regulatory resources will leave surrogates vulnerable to human trafficking.
Thai PBS World | February 25, 2024
Thai police arrested a man thought to be a provider of frozen sperm, ova, and embryos for clinics operating in Laos and Cambodia as part of an illegal transnational surrogacy network. (Note “embryos” was incorrectly translated as “fetuses” in the article)
Progress Educational Trust | September 25, 2023
With the growing global demand for surrogacy, and a narrowing range of options as countries close their doors to foreigners seeking surrogates, intended parents are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate cross-border surrogacy arrangements in an ethical way.
Mirage News | August 1, 2023
A study on Thailand’s ban on commercial surrogacy shows that the underground industry leaves surrogates with few protections. An international legislative framework could regulate surrogacy without penalizing the surrogate.
Bangkok Post | May 12, 2023
Although Thailand outlawed surrogacy in 2015, the industry still operates illegally. Now, the Department of Health is drafting an amendment to increase the penalties for brokers who facilitate surrogacy and for surrogates themselves.
Read the full article ->
Thai PBS | February 7, 2023
Since Thailand legalized surrogacy for married couples seven years ago, 621 surrogacy cases have been approved. To combat commercialization, the government still bans the sale of gametes and embryos.
Charlie Campbell | Time | November 3, 2022
Surrogacy & adoption services in Thailand are only available to legally married couples, excluding LGBTQ people. Proposed legislation would expand access for LGBTQ families, including for this transgender mom and her adopted children.
Swedish Research Council | PHYS | October 11, 2022
Despite a 2015 ban, commercial surrogacy in Thailand continues to operate underground. New research shows how Thai surrogates must travel across borders for embryo implantation and childbirth, exposing them to multiple vulnerabilities.
Caitlin Ashworth | The Thaiger | February 7, 2021
This article highlights an illegal Thai surrogacy ring posing as a cleaning company, with 3 alleged agents and 4 alleged surrogates arrested so far. Cybercrime police discovered the ring when foreign intended parents were unable to retrieve the babies because of coronavirus travel restrictions. International surrogacy is illegal in Thailand, so the women were brought to Cambodia for embryo transfer and returned to Thailand for the duration of the pregnancy and birth. Allegedly, Thai women were lured in through social media and then paid over 500,000 baht (about 17,000 USD) each to bear children for foreign buyers.
By Wassayos Ngamkham | Bangkok Post | May 27, 2020
Police are pressing charges against a doctor suspected of involvement in a transnational surrogacy ring in Bangkok, where surrogacy is illegal. One woman believed to be involved has been arrested, and police say they are preparing to arrest 10 additional people. Surrogates were hired in Thailand and sent to other countries for embryo transfer; most came back to give birth, though some were sent to China to deliver the babies.
