Bangkok
(AsiaNews / Agencies) - Thailand's parliament has approved a law prohibiting
foreigners to resort to surrogacy services, to end the "wombs for
rent" industry that has made the country a favorite destination for the
so-called "fertility tourism". "This decision - said deputy Wanlop
Tankananurak - wants to prevent Thailand becoming the world's womb".
The legislative process began in August 2014, when the Council of Ministers gave
its approval to a bill that would make commercial surrogacy a crime. The draft passed
the first step last November and became law today.
Specifically, the measure prohibits foreign couples to seeking surrogacy services
fromThai women. In the case of Thai couples or in which at least one spouse is
a Thai citizen, surrogacy is permitted provided that the mother "for
rent" is over 25. Breaking the law can result in a maximum penalty of 10
years in prison.
The decision to approve such a law comes after two cases that prompted international
outrage. The first concerns Gammy
(see picture), a child born to a Thai surrogate
mother. The biological parents - an Australian couple - abandoned the baby
because he had down syndrome, taking his twin instead, born without
disabilities. After a long legal battle, Gammy now lives with Koy, the
surrogate mother.
The second story involves a Japanese man, who was discovered to be the
biological father of at least 16 children born through Thai surrogate mothers.
Local media referred to the case as the "child factory".