As the registration of same sex marriages in Thailand starts on January 22, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand is revisiting its surrogacy law, both for local and overseas couples who have plans in having surrogate babies.
The director-general of the Department of Health Service and Support (DHSS), Dr. Panuwat Panket on Tuesday provided an update on the changes made to the Protection for Children Born through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act.
The changes include the replacement of the terms “husband” and “wife”, both gender affirming nouns, into “spouses”. The update will also allow the exporting of embryos, sperm or egg back to the foreign couple’s home country under a criteria set by the Protection of Children Born Using Medical Assisted Reproductive Technology under the said law. However, issues on child custody and guardianship, specifically in issues of parents separating, will need a more thorough consideration.
This and more changes are written in the revised draft which have been submitted to the Minister of Public Health for review, before sending it to the cabinet for consideration.
Once the amendments are finalized and approved, local and foreign couples will be allowed to seek surrogacy in the country. Currently, only couples with Thai partners are approved for surrogacy, Dr. Panuwat said.
In addition, only relatives of the intended parents are allowed to be surrogates. Commercial surrogacy is still not allowed and advertising for surrogates is also banned. The revised law also intends to increase prison time and fines for offences committed outside the country.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2939872/ministry-to-overhaul-law-on-surrogacy