A bill which seeks to ban commercial surrogacy in the country was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday by a voice vote. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 also provides for constitution of surrogacy boards at national and state levels, as well as that the intending couples should not abandon such a child under any condition. Some amendments moved by the opposition were rejected by voice vote. Responding to the debate on the bill, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the ban commercial surrogacy was "the need of the hour".
He said several countries have banned commercial surrogacy. It is only legal in the state of California besides Russia and Ukraine. The minister assured the members that once the rules and regulations of the proposed law are put in place, it would make the legislation stronger. "A rough estimates says there are about 2,000-3000 surrogacy clinics running illegally in the…
