BANGKOK, 20 Feb 2015 – The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has approved three bills regarding legalization of surrogacy and protection of children conceived via this particular reproductive technology.
NLA members voted 160 to 2 in support of the surrogacy bills. Four other NLA members abstained. According to the NLA special committee’s chairman Wallop Tang-kananurak, the lawmakers amended the wording in 24 sections and added six sections to the bills to better clarify legal conditions of pregnancy by proxy.
Under the bill, people who are legally allowed to use surrogacy will be classified in two categories, namely Thai couples, and a foreigner married to a Thai. The latter category of couples, must have had a marriage registration document for at least three years. Women who undertake a surrogacy pregnancy must be Thai nationals. They must be over 25 years of age and must have had children before.
The bill is intended to secure the legal status of both parents and children born as a result of this method of reproduction. The legislators also expect that legal penalties specified in the bill will prevent the use of reproductive technology for immoral or illegal purposes.
