New Delhi, October 29: India is all set to ban foreigners from hiring surrogate mothers in the country, a move likely to hit the booming commercial surrogacy industry(The business is estimated to be growing by 20 per cent annually).
In an affidavit to the Apex Court on Wednesday, the government declared that it “does not support commercial surrogacy”and will now bring in new measures to restrict such arrangements.
‘No foreigners can avail surrogacy services in India,” it told the Court, which is hearing a petition regarding the industry, adding that surrogacy would be available “only for Indian couples.”
Thousands of infertile couples, many from overseas, hire the wombs of Indian women to carry their embryos through to birth. India, with cheap technology, skilled doctors and a steady supply of local surrogates, is one of relatively few countries where women can be paid to carry another’s child.
The lack of legislative oversight in India had prompted claims that poor and ill-educated Indian women were being exploited by surrogacy clinics and rich foreigners.
Critics said the women often were not given proper information, counselling and follow-up care and questioned why citizens of affluent countries where commercial surrogacy is banned or restricted could freely pay Indians to have their babies.
Earlier this month, the Court had expressed its concern and had ordered the government to spell out measures for regulating the industry.
The government’s affidavit, presented to the Court by Solicitor General, Ranjit Kumar, said it would “require some time to bring the law in place”.
India has been trying to pass a new Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act since 2010 in order to regulate the industry. The latest move comes after the government issued new rules in 2012 barring foreign gay couples and single people from using surrogate mothers to become parents, drawing sharp criticism from gay rights activists and fertility clinics.
The cost of surrogacy in India generally ranges from about $18,000 to $30,000, of which around $8,000 goes to the surrogate mother. The figure is roughly a third of the US price.