Government proposes complete ban on commercial surrogacy

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 2016: 
The Union Cabinet gave its nod for the introduction in Parliament of the Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2016, that seeks to "prohibit commercial surrogacy" and allow "ethical surrogacy" to needy infertile couples.

"A draft bill which aims to safeguard the rights of surrogate mothers and make parentage of such children legal has been cleared by the Union Cabinet," external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj briefed reporters after the Cabinet meeting,

"This Bill will prohibit commercial surrogacy and allow ethical surrogacy to needy infertile couples," Sushma Swaraj said.

Sushma Swaraj also said that for using surrogacy the couple must be a legally married couple and also require to produce "unfit medical certificate" to prove that there is some complexity in any one of the partners.

"The altruistic surrogacy will not be allowed to single parents, live-in partners and homosexual couples," she added.

"The married couple can get permission only if their marriage is at least five years old," she added. Times of India