The New Surrogacy Bill On Unveiled

Shutters are coming down on surrogacy in India, with several fertility clinics across Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi refusing fresh cases. The new Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, is set to be tabled in Rajya Sabha during winter session starting on November 18. Lok Sabha has already passed the bill in July 2019.

Background of Surrogacy Bill in India

• Commercial surrogacy was legalized in 2002 to promote “medical tourism”. 
• This led to the exponential growth of the surrogacy industry in India. 
• As per the united nation in 2012 had estimated the magnitude of the surrogacy business to be at $400 mn.
• This has led to the mushrooming of over 3000 clinics in India.

About Surrogacy Bill in India

As per the Surrogacy (regulation) bill, 2019 is a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple with an intention to hand over the child after the birth to intending couple.

Reason for bringing in the legislative measures

Salient features of the bill

• The bill prohibits commercial surrogacy and only allows altruistic surrogacy. 

• Altruistic surrogacy involves no monetary compensation to surrogate mother other than medical expenses and insurance coverage.
• Commercial surrogacy is undertaken for the benefit of reward exceeding medical expenses and insurance.
• Eligibility of intending couple

• Couple being an Indian citizen and married for 5 years.
• Wife -23 yr. to 50 yr.; Husband-26yr to 55yrs.
• They do not have any surviving child (biological, adopted or surrogate).
• The above condition does not include a child who is mentally or physically challenged or suffers from life-threatening disorder or fatal illness.

• Eligibility of surrogate mother 

• A close relative of intending couple
• Age -25-35
• Married women having a child of her own.
• A surrogate only once in her lifetime.
• Possess a certificate of medical and psychological fitness for surrogacy.

• Surrogacies clinics cannot take undertake surrogacy related procedure unless registered with the appropriate authority.
• A child born out of a surrogacy procedure will be deemed to be the biological child of the intending couple.

•  An abortion of the surrogate child requires the written consent of the surrogate mother and the authorization of the appropriate authority.  
• This authorization must be compliant with the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

Unaddressed problems

• Lack of institutional mechanism

• India handle about 2,000 surrogacy cases every year, the
  majority of which go unrecorded.
• Data is partially accurate as it reflects only the information voluntarily uploaded by clinics on National ART Registry of India (NARI).
• It is very hard to establish the “altruistic clause” mentioned in the bill.
•  Ignores the right of LGBTQ+ couples and single parent.
• An eligibility criterion of 5 years violates Fundamental right under article 14 treating couples unequally. 
• Couples with proven infertility or other chronic conditions like cancer also has to wait for a stipulated time period.
• Restriction of reproductive health violates ‘right to life’ under article 21.
• It leaves the ineligible couple or couple who are unable to find a surrogate mother in their relationship circle with an only option of adoption.
• Lack of provision of medical facilities post birth due to a dearth of quality healthcare still remains unresolved.
• Bill extends the provision of insurance for the period of surrogacy only.
• It excludes long term medical issues like postpartum stress disorder.

• The blanket ban on commercial regulation might lead to the formation of the underground black market.
• The 10 months window period for already registered surrogacy fails to understand the complexity and the practical issue involved.

Way-forward

• Extension of the window period for genuine cases.
• Case by case basis assessment instead of 5-year waiting condition. For eg Women born without a ‘uterus’ need not wait for 5 years.
• The legislation needs to be amended to cater to the needs of varied couples like same-sex and LGBTQ+.
• Nri, OCI and PIO should be considered for surrogacy in their home country.
• Regulation of commercial surrogacy instead of prohibiting, banning and penalizing as a couple might not always find surrogate within their families like orphaned couples. 
• The 228th Law commission stated that “prohibition on vague moral grounds without a proper assessment of social ends and purposes which surrogacy can serve would be irrational.

The bill needs to consider the views of all the stakeholders like doctors, surrogate mothers, intending couples etc. to make it inclusive, right based legislation and give time to resolve the necessary grievances.