Surrogacy Regulation Bill passed in LokSabha
What is Surrogacy?
Surrogacy is an arrangement, which is often supported by a legal agreement, under which a woman agrees to be pregnant, takes pregnancy for a fixed period, and gives birth to a child or children. It is for individuals or individuals who are or are ultimate. Become a newborn baby or children’s parents. There are two types of surrogacy process:
1. Commercial Surrogacy
Getting money for the surrogacy is considered as a commercial surrogacy. surrogate mother will be rewarded remunerations or financial benefits other than medical expenses.
2. Altruistic Surrogacy
In this type of Surrogacy does not include any financial benefits to the surrogate mother other than medical expenses. It includes insurance coverage for the mother and protects the ethics of society.
Why Surrogacy Bill in news:
In order to protect the country’s surrogacy, the Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy Bill 2016 on December 19, 2018.
Bill has banned commercial surrogacy and only allows altruistic surrogacy. The Bill was approved by the Cabinet in August 2016 The surrogacy bill protects the rights of a born child with surrogacy mother and promotes ethical surrogacy. Surrogacy is defined as an agreement between a couple who cannot conceive and a surrogate mother to carry their child. As the previous reports have established, some surrogates are upset at the level of exploitation in their employment.
Important points of Surrogacy bills :
- According to the provisions of the bill, the couple should be legally married for at least five years and should have a certificate from a doctor that they are unable for normal birth.
- Single person(either man or woman), gay and live-in couples cannot apply for surrogacy. Apart from this, already couples who are having childbirth will not be allowed to choose surrogacy.
- Bill only gives the right to the benefit of surrogacy to Indian nationals whereas foreigners, NRIs, and PIOs are not allowed to have surrogacy in the country.
- The bill is applicable to all the states of India except Jammu and Kashmir.
- According to the provisions of the bill, the women of the age group of 26 to 50 and men aged between 26 and 55 years will be eligible to go for surrogacy.
- To exploit the surrogate mother, a fine of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh will be imposed.
- It provides for the appointment of appropriate officers for the formation of a national surrogacy board.
National Surrogacy Board:
The board includes:
Chairperson – Minister in-charge of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Vice Chairperson – Secretary to the Government of India in-charge of Department dealing with surrogacy matters.
Members – Three women members of Parliament, Three members of Ministries of Central government from Women and Child Development, Legislative Department in the Ministry of Law and Justice and Ministry of Home Affairs not below the rank of Joint Secretary, Director-General of Health Services of Central Government and ten experts members.
what people say about surrogacy bill:
NCP leader Supriya Sule said, “it was a good bill but not modern enough“.
Trinamool Congress leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said,” same sex couples should also be allowed to have a child through surrogacy“.
BJD’s Bhartruhari Mahtab said,” surrogacy industry had been thriving due to the regulatory gap. He asked the government to define who close relatives can be”.
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