Cabinet approves bill to ban commercial surrogacy

The Cabinet has given its approval for the introduction of the surrogacy bill on Wednesday.

In an attempt to end commercial surrogacy the Cabinet seeks to regulate surrogate pregnancies in India, after it has emerged as a ‘surrogacy hub.’

The Cabinet will set up a National Surrogacy Board at the central level and State Surrogacy Boards in States and Union Territories.

However, altruistic surrogacy will be allowed in the country on ethical grounds to infertile couples. 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, “Once passed, the legislation will ban commercial surrogacy and regulate altruistic surrogacy. Couples in a live-in or homosexual relationship will not be given permission for surrogacy.”

Swaraj slammed celebrity couples by saying that wombs of poor women are being bought even by celebrities who have one or two children. This is unethical," she said.
 

The Cabinet has made this decision as there have been reported incidents concerning unethical practices, exploitation of surrogate mothers, abandonment of children born out of surrogacy and rackets of intermediaries importing human embryos and gametes.