Varanasi/Uttar Pradesh (Times of India) : The subject of surrogate motherhood raises many ethical and legal
issues. Surrogacy needs to be strictly regulated, said Justice BS
Chauhan, judge, Supreme Court. He was delivering a lecture on 'Law and
morality with special reference to surrogacy' in the faculty of law,
Banaras Hindu University, held as part of the 150th birth anniversary
celebrations of Mahamana Madan Mohan Malviya.
Surrogacy cases on the rise in India
‘Parental orders’ were granted following surrogacy to transfer the child from the surrogate mother to the commissioning parents, The Independent reported. This process, driven particularly by Indian agencies, has risen from 47 times in 2007 and 133 in 2011, the study said. But the real figures are believed to be much higher, and experts have warned of the increasing exploitation of women living in poverty who undergo the pregnancies to raise money.
According to the study, women rent their wombs for about USD 16,000 to USD 32,000. Commercial surrogacy is permitted in the US and in many other countries including India, where it was legalised in 2002. But it is banned in Britain and only expenses may be paid making it difficult for UK couples where neither partner is able to bear children to find women prepared to volunteer for the role.
‘We have clinicians in this country who have links with overseas clinics. That was stopped with international adoption years ago. I don`t think the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has been strong enough on this,’ Marilyn Crawshaw, author of the research and senior lecturer at the University of York, said.
‘There is concern about child trafficking. The World Health Organisation held a meeting on this. Parents desperate to have children will pay thousands of pounds to foreign agencies to arrange the birth of their child. Natalie Gamble, a lawyer specialising in surrogacy cases, said important regulations were in place to protect children at risk from international trafficking, but there were no safeguards in place for overseas surrogacy.
The practise follows a decline in international adoptions, which has plummeted to its lowest point in 15 years.
TAIWAN to mull legalizing surrogacy
TAIPEI (The China Post) : The Taiwan government will soon hold
a meeting to discuss regulations related to surrogacy in Taiwan, an
official from the Bureau of Health Promotion under the Department of
Health said yesterday.
A draft Surrogacy Act covering over 40 regulations was drawn up in 2004 but after more than 20 international meetings, experts failed to reach consensus on legal issues pertaining to sperm and egg donations, the rights of surrogate mothers, biological parents, and children, the bureau's Deputy Director-General Kung Hsien-lan said.
The department will discuss whether to include those issues in the artificial reproduction bill or establish a new law in the near future, with a view to lifting the ban on surrogacy, Kung said.
Kung said she hopes to implement as soon as possible the conclusions reached at a meeting in September to allow infertile couples to donate healthy eggs and sperm for surrogate births.
The government should provide legal protections for all parties involved and ensure that surrogate mothers will be given money only for necessary expenses rather than as a reward, she said.
Over 5,000 infertile couples in Taiwan who were eager to have children of their own have sought surrogate mothers outside the law since they cannot afford to pay for surrogacy in other countries, said Kuomintang Legislator Chiang Huei-chen at the conference with Kung.
A new regulation covering the relationship between rights and obligations should be established as part of the solutions to key identity authentication issues, said Kuo Chuan-ching of the Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Justice.
The surrogacy issue came to the fore after Lien Hui-hsin, the eldest daughter of Kuomintang Honorary Chairman Lien Chan, recently had three daughters via two surrogate mothers in the United States.
A draft Surrogacy Act covering over 40 regulations was drawn up in 2004 but after more than 20 international meetings, experts failed to reach consensus on legal issues pertaining to sperm and egg donations, the rights of surrogate mothers, biological parents, and children, the bureau's Deputy Director-General Kung Hsien-lan said.
The department will discuss whether to include those issues in the artificial reproduction bill or establish a new law in the near future, with a view to lifting the ban on surrogacy, Kung said.
Kung said she hopes to implement as soon as possible the conclusions reached at a meeting in September to allow infertile couples to donate healthy eggs and sperm for surrogate births.
The government should provide legal protections for all parties involved and ensure that surrogate mothers will be given money only for necessary expenses rather than as a reward, she said.
Over 5,000 infertile couples in Taiwan who were eager to have children of their own have sought surrogate mothers outside the law since they cannot afford to pay for surrogacy in other countries, said Kuomintang Legislator Chiang Huei-chen at the conference with Kung.
A new regulation covering the relationship between rights and obligations should be established as part of the solutions to key identity authentication issues, said Kuo Chuan-ching of the Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Justice.
The surrogacy issue came to the fore after Lien Hui-hsin, the eldest daughter of Kuomintang Honorary Chairman Lien Chan, recently had three daughters via two surrogate mothers in the United States.
Time to regulate surrogacy in India
Women's Feature Service : Surrogacy in India continues to remain a very sensitive topic. The laws
meant to regulate surrogacy are still in nascent stages, as they are
stuck at various legislative levels.
The only guidelines currently related to this field are those of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which date back to 2006.
Meanwhile, surrogacy is growing rapidly by the day, thanks to India emerging as a centre for medical tourism and being one of the few countries in the world where commercial surrogacy is widely available. Estimates for the value of this industry range from Rs 20 billion to 2.3 billion US dollars.
The legal situation in India is in sharp contrast to that existing in many other countries. In Germany and Canada surrogacy is outlawed or prohibited, in the United Kingdom it is highly regulated and very expensive.
The only guidelines currently related to this field are those of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which date back to 2006.
Meanwhile, surrogacy is growing rapidly by the day, thanks to India emerging as a centre for medical tourism and being one of the few countries in the world where commercial surrogacy is widely available. Estimates for the value of this industry range from Rs 20 billion to 2.3 billion US dollars.
The legal situation in India is in sharp contrast to that existing in many other countries. In Germany and Canada surrogacy is outlawed or prohibited, in the United Kingdom it is highly regulated and very expensive.
Australians turning to India for surrogacy
Press Trust of India / Melbourne : Rising number of Australians are turning to India for surrogacy
arrangements to fulfil their parenting dreams, according to a new study.
India is being seen as a preferred destination for commercial surrogacy, followed by Thailand and the United States, according to the study by 'Surrogacy Australia', an agency involved in international surrogacy.
According to Herald Sun, the agency had found there were 200 recorded surrogacy births in India to Australian couples so far this year, compared to 179 in 2011, 86 in 2010 and 47 in 2009.
The research included Australian government statistics, data collected from 14 large overseas surrogacy agencies and a survey of 217 Australians.
India is being seen as a preferred destination for commercial surrogacy, followed by Thailand and the United States, according to the study by 'Surrogacy Australia', an agency involved in international surrogacy.
According to Herald Sun, the agency had found there were 200 recorded surrogacy births in India to Australian couples so far this year, compared to 179 in 2011, 86 in 2010 and 47 in 2009.
The research included Australian government statistics, data collected from 14 large overseas surrogacy agencies and a survey of 217 Australians.
‘Beautiful and fair’ preferred among surrogate mothers too
Caste and religion are also key factors while renting wombs: study
The Hindu (Beautiful and fair — words traditionally synonymous with brides — are
being used for renting a womb. For, not only are “healthy, beautiful,
fair and higher caste or Brahmin’’ surrogates in great demand, they also
receive good payment in cash and kind from the commissioning parents
after delivery.
Doctors and agents have confirmed — in a study by Sama, a Delhi-based
resource group working on women’s and health issues — that there were
preferred criteria set by the commissioning parents, such as ‘higher
caste,’ Brahmins and a particular religion, often directed by their own
identity. Commissioning parents shower gifts on surrogate mothers for
producing healthy and good-looking babies.
Biological mother, surrogate deliver on same day in Gujarat
AHMEDABAD (Bharat Yagnik, TNN) : The joys of parenthood eluded Yogesh Sharma and his wife
Reena for 14 long years despite trying out the latest medical treatment.
But the pain they suffered was alleviated one fine day. Both Reena and the surrogate
they hired simultaneously became pregnant. On October 12, the couple
got two children as both the mother and the surrogate delivered on the
same day.
"I had only heard of God's generosity, but I
experienced it for the first time when I held my son and daughter,
delivered through two different wombs. This is the most precious gift we
have received", said Sharma, who is in the defence forces and lives in
Delhi. The couple came to Gujarat's Anand to hire a surrogate.
"This is one of the rare cases where both the natural mother and surrogate get pregnant simultaneously. This is the first such double pregnancy and delivery at our centre and the first in India as well," says surrogacy specialist Dr Naina Patel who has made Anand the world's surrogacy capital.
The Sharma couple is seeing this as a miracle. "We had lost hope. I underwent four procedures of artificial insemination and four in vitro fertilization ( IVF) cycles. All these did not result in a pregnancy", says Reena.
The distraught couple decided to adopt. When they applied, the waiting period was two-and-a-half years. As both were nearing 40, they decided to use the waiting period to try out surrogacy instead.
"The embryo was implanted on February 27 and we were overjoyed to hear that the surrogate mother had conceived on March 5. Our happiness knew no bounds when Reena too became pregnant on March 12," says Yogesh.
When the surrogate mother got labour pains on October 12, Reena decided to go for cesarean section so that the children are born on the same day.
(Names of the couple have been withheld to protect heir identity)
"This is one of the rare cases where both the natural mother and surrogate get pregnant simultaneously. This is the first such double pregnancy and delivery at our centre and the first in India as well," says surrogacy specialist Dr Naina Patel who has made Anand the world's surrogacy capital.
The Sharma couple is seeing this as a miracle. "We had lost hope. I underwent four procedures of artificial insemination and four in vitro fertilization ( IVF) cycles. All these did not result in a pregnancy", says Reena.
The distraught couple decided to adopt. When they applied, the waiting period was two-and-a-half years. As both were nearing 40, they decided to use the waiting period to try out surrogacy instead.
"The embryo was implanted on February 27 and we were overjoyed to hear that the surrogate mother had conceived on March 5. Our happiness knew no bounds when Reena too became pregnant on March 12," says Yogesh.
When the surrogate mother got labour pains on October 12, Reena decided to go for cesarean section so that the children are born on the same day.
(Names of the couple have been withheld to protect heir identity)
‘Surrogacy visa’ for foreigners visiting India
Dubai (Xpress-Sharmila Dhal, ) : Foreigners visiting India for surrogacy purposes can only travel on medical visas, the Indian Consulate has said.
“We have so far not received any applications in this category,” a
spokesperson told XPRESS, but added that foreign nationals living in the
UAE can apply for surrogacy visas to India, provided they fulfill other
conditions.
Surrogacy is a form of assisted reproductive treatment (ART) in which a
woman conceives and carries a child for another couple and then
surrenders the newborn child to them.
Every year, an estimated 25,000 children are said to be born to
surrogate mothers who rent their wombs in India. Over half of them are
commissioned by infertile western couples.
The Indian Consulate said tourist visas are issued to foreign couples
for reconnaissance trips as they must produce a duly notarised agreement
between them and the prospective Indian surrogate mother when they
apply for the surrogacy visa, but no samples can be given to any clinic
during the preliminary visit.
Subsequently, it should take a few days before the medical visa is
issued. “Subject to all required documents and mandatory clearances, it
should take five-six working days,” a spokesperson said.
There are many conditions to be fulfilled by the applicants.
The foreign couple must have been married for at least two years.
The foreign couple must have been married for at least two years.
The spokesperson said those seeking a surrogacy visa to India must
verify whether the law of his or her country permits surrogacy and will
provide travel documents to the child to accompany the surrogate
parents.
The treatment can be done only at registered ART clinics recognised by
the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Also before couples leave
India, ‘exit’ permits must be be obtained testifying that the couple
has taken full custody of the child and all liabilities towards the
Indian surrogate mother have been fully discharged.
Surrogacy in TV serials: Is it only for TRP or to spread awareness?
TNN (Neha Maheshwari) : The latest trend to
take tellydom by storm is 'surrogacy'. The small screen has, at regular
intervals, pushed the envelope with steamy hot sequences, lip-locks and
consummation, to recall a few. And these days, there's an overdose of
what is usually considered a hush-hush affair: surrogacy.
Gays become legal parents after Indian mother disappears
London (Deccan Herald) : A gay couple in Britain has won the right to be recognised as
the legal parents of twin boys after the Indian surrogate mother the
couple paid to carry the babies disappeared.
The woman, believed to be from Andhra Pradesh, handed over the boys last year to the two men without giving her formal consent to the handover, the Daily Mail reported.
The daily said the couple arranged to pay a clinic in Hyderabad a sum of 17,000 pounds (around $27,000) to become the children's parents under a commercial surrogacy agreement in 2010.
The woman, believed to be from Andhra Pradesh, handed over the boys last year to the two men without giving her formal consent to the handover, the Daily Mail reported.
The daily said the couple arranged to pay a clinic in Hyderabad a sum of 17,000 pounds (around $27,000) to become the children's parents under a commercial surrogacy agreement in 2010.
‘Designer’ babies may soon be made legal in UK
London (Press Trust India) : The creation of genetically-modified “designer” babies to carry healthy DNA from a third biological parent could be legalised in the UK next year.
A law change would allow for children to be “designed” in order to be free of horrific diseases. The children would effectively have two mothers and one father and the technique could lead to the creation of designer babies, made to order by hair or eye colour.
Germline therapy, or the alteration of genes in eggs or sperm, is banned in most countries, the Daily Mail reported.
A law change would allow for children to be “designed” in order to be free of horrific diseases. The children would effectively have two mothers and one father and the technique could lead to the creation of designer babies, made to order by hair or eye colour.
Germline therapy, or the alteration of genes in eggs or sperm, is banned in most countries, the Daily Mail reported.
Mothers for hire
Amrit Dhillon (The Sunday Morning Herald) : 'SHE was very precious to us. Now we cannot do anything about it. Please leave,'' is all that Premila Vaghela's sister would say to an Indian journalist before closing the door.
Virtually penniless, Vaghela had decided to become a surrogate mother for an American couple because she was desperate to give her own two children an education and a better life. In May, after suddenly developing complications towards the end of her pregnancy, Vaghela collapsed. Before she died, the doctors handling her pregnancy at Pulse Hospital in Ahmedabad, in western India, performed a caesarean section and the baby was born a month premature, but lived.
No police investigation has been ordered into Vaghela's death. Her husband, even if he were aware of his legal rights (which he won't be as a poor Indian), cannot sue Pulse Hospital for compensation.
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Surrogacy is big business in India.
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Virtually penniless, Vaghela had decided to become a surrogate mother for an American couple because she was desperate to give her own two children an education and a better life. In May, after suddenly developing complications towards the end of her pregnancy, Vaghela collapsed. Before she died, the doctors handling her pregnancy at Pulse Hospital in Ahmedabad, in western India, performed a caesarean section and the baby was born a month premature, but lived.
No police investigation has been ordered into Vaghela's death. Her husband, even if he were aware of his legal rights (which he won't be as a poor Indian), cannot sue Pulse Hospital for compensation.
Hyderabad turns hub for surrogate moms
The Asian Age : (Syed Akbar/Hyderabad) : “I signed up for surrogacy five times,” claimed a young woman from the city in her post on a website, offering to rent her womb for the sixth time to infertile couples. Another young woman described in detail her physical and health traits while volunteering to bear someone’s child for the fourth time.
A number of medical tourism firms in the USA, Europe and Australia promote India as the best and the most economical destination for surrogacy. A casual browse of the Internet reveals a list of dozens of women from Hyderabad ready to become surrogate moms.
No wonder, Hyderabad is fast turning into a global hub of surrogate pregnancies. Infertile couples from at least three dozen countries including the USA, the UK and Australia have engaged surrogate mothers in the city.
Fertility experts pointed out that the high success rate coupled with affordable costs and easy legal documentation has made India the favourite destination for infertile couples from foreign countries. Surrogacy is 15 to 20 times cheaper in India than in developed nations.
While countries like the USA, UK and Australia have stringent laws that make it difficult or impossible to hire surrogate mothers, India does not have clear-cut laws on womb rentals. The guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research allows voluntary surrogacy on condition that hospitals should not hire prospective surrogate mothers or advertise about surrogacy.
However, many hospitals do not follow these rules. Ideally a woman should not volunteer for surrogacy more than three times. But multiple surrogate pregnancies are quite common in India.
Sources said that about 500 foreign couples engage surrogate mothers every year in Hyderabad alone. The success rate (delivery of live babies) in the city is between 25 and 30 per cent, which means about 125 babies are delivered. The surrogacy market in India is now pegged at Rs. 14,000 crore, including the costs paid to surrogates.
Senior fertility expert Dr Roya Rozati said that surrogate mothers in Hyderabad charge between Rs. 4.5 lakh and Rs. 6 lakh. “For infertile couples in developed countries, this is affordable. Moreover, the surrogacy costs in developed countries are prohibitive,” she pointed out.
Another reason why India has been attracting infertile couples is that Indian laws recognise surrogacy, which means a surrogate mother is not the legal mother of the child, Dr Roya Rozati said. The couple, which hires the surrogate mothers, gets the legal parents’ rights.
But in the many countries, the surrogate mother is the legal mother, which makes matters worse for the intending parents.
A number of medical tourism firms in the USA, Europe and Australia promote India as the best and the most economical destination for surrogacy. A casual browse of the Internet reveals a list of dozens of women from Hyderabad ready to become surrogate moms.
No wonder, Hyderabad is fast turning into a global hub of surrogate pregnancies. Infertile couples from at least three dozen countries including the USA, the UK and Australia have engaged surrogate mothers in the city.
Fertility experts pointed out that the high success rate coupled with affordable costs and easy legal documentation has made India the favourite destination for infertile couples from foreign countries. Surrogacy is 15 to 20 times cheaper in India than in developed nations.
While countries like the USA, UK and Australia have stringent laws that make it difficult or impossible to hire surrogate mothers, India does not have clear-cut laws on womb rentals. The guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research allows voluntary surrogacy on condition that hospitals should not hire prospective surrogate mothers or advertise about surrogacy.
However, many hospitals do not follow these rules. Ideally a woman should not volunteer for surrogacy more than three times. But multiple surrogate pregnancies are quite common in India.
Sources said that about 500 foreign couples engage surrogate mothers every year in Hyderabad alone. The success rate (delivery of live babies) in the city is between 25 and 30 per cent, which means about 125 babies are delivered. The surrogacy market in India is now pegged at Rs. 14,000 crore, including the costs paid to surrogates.
Senior fertility expert Dr Roya Rozati said that surrogate mothers in Hyderabad charge between Rs. 4.5 lakh and Rs. 6 lakh. “For infertile couples in developed countries, this is affordable. Moreover, the surrogacy costs in developed countries are prohibitive,” she pointed out.
Another reason why India has been attracting infertile couples is that Indian laws recognise surrogacy, which means a surrogate mother is not the legal mother of the child, Dr Roya Rozati said. The couple, which hires the surrogate mothers, gets the legal parents’ rights.
But in the many countries, the surrogate mother is the legal mother, which makes matters worse for the intending parents.
सरोगसीच्या कायद्यासाठी महाराष्ट्र सरकार तज्ज्ञ समितीची स्थापना करणार
आमदार देवेंद्र फडणवीस यांनी शुक्रवारी (१३ जुलै, २०१२) विधान सभेत
महाराष्ट्र साहाय्यक प्रजनन तंत्रज्ञान (नियमन) अधिनियम २०११ (सरोगसी) आणि
लोक आयुक्त व उप लोक आयुक्त कायदा, १९७१ (सुधारणा) या दोन अशासकीय
विधेयकांवर चर्चा करून या विधेयकाची आवश्यकता पटवून दिली. आमदार फडणवीस
यांच्या चर्चेनंतर मान. राज्यमंत्री फौजिया खान यांनी महाराष्ट्र साहाय्यक
प्रजनन तंत्रज्ञान (नियमन) अधिनियम, २०११ (सरोगसी) याची तांत्रिक
मुद्द्यांद्वारे तपासणी करण्यासाठी तसेच साहाय्यक प्रजनन तंत्रज्ञानातील
विविध पैलूंचा अभ्यास करण्यासाठी तज्ज्ञ समितीची स्थापना करण्याचे आश्वासन
दिले आहे. तसेच केंद्र सरकारने २००८ पासून संसदेत प्रलंबित असलेला हा कायदा
लवकरात लवकर पारित करण्यात यावा, यासाठी केंद्र सरकारला पत्र लिहिणार
असल्याचेही राज्यमंत्री फौजिया खान यांनी सांगितले.
लोक आयुक्त व उप लोक आयुक्त कायदा, १९७१ (सुधारणा) या कायद्याबाबत अधिवेशन संपण्यापूर्वी मुख्यमंत्र्यांसमवेत चर्चा करून त्यावर योग्य तो मार्ग काढण्याचे आश्वासन राज्यमंत्री फौजिया खान यांनी दिले आहे.
या दोन्ही अशासकीय विधेयकाचा मसुदा 'स्पार्क'ने तयार केला होता. इच्छुकांना सदर विधेयक पहावयाचे असल्यास ते ब्लॉगवर उपलब्ध आहे. या विधेयकाबाबत आपल्या काही साधक-बाधक प्रतिक्रिया असल्यास आम्हास जरूर कळवाव्यात.
लोक आयुक्त व उप लोक आयुक्त कायदा, १९७१ (सुधारणा) या कायद्याबाबत अधिवेशन संपण्यापूर्वी मुख्यमंत्र्यांसमवेत चर्चा करून त्यावर योग्य तो मार्ग काढण्याचे आश्वासन राज्यमंत्री फौजिया खान यांनी दिले आहे.
या दोन्ही अशासकीय विधेयकाचा मसुदा 'स्पार्क'ने तयार केला होता. इच्छुकांना सदर विधेयक पहावयाचे असल्यास ते ब्लॉगवर उपलब्ध आहे. या विधेयकाबाबत आपल्या काही साधक-बाधक प्रतिक्रिया असल्यास आम्हास जरूर कळवाव्यात.
सरोगसीतील गैरप्रकारांना बसणार आळा
वृत्तसंस्था, नवी दिल्ली
सरोगसी तंत्रज्ञानाचा वापर करून कृत्रिम गर्भधारणेसाठी गर्भाशय भाड्याने देणारी महिला आणि जन्मणाऱ्या मुलाचे हक्क डावलले जाऊ नयेत यासाठी केंद्र सरकारने महत्त्वाचे पाऊल उचलले आहे. येत्या हिवाळी अधिवेशनात त्यासंदर्भात एक विधेयक आणण्यात येणार आहे.
सरोगसीची सेवा घेणाऱ्या संबंधित जोडप्याच्या सामाजिक , वैद्यकीय आणि नैतिक अधिकारांचे रक्षण करण्यासंदर्भात या विधेयकात तरतुदी आहेत. द असिस्टेड रिप्रॉडक्टिव टेक्नॉलॉजी रेग्युलेशन (एआरटी) असे या विधेयकाचे नाव असून ते कायदा मंत्रालयाकडे मंजुरीसाठी पाठवण्यात आले आहे. या विधेयकानुसार अशा गुन्ह्यांसाठी पाच वर्षांचा तुरुंगवास आणि मोठ्या दंडाची तरतूद करण्यात आली आहे.
नव्या विधेयकानुसार ज्या देशांत सरोगसीवर बंदी आहे अशा देशातील जोडप्यांना भारतात ही सेवा घेता येणार नाही , अशी माहिती वैद्यकीय संशोधन सचिव व्ही. एम. कटोच यांनी दिली. परदेशी जोडप्यांना ही सेवा देणाऱ्या संस्थांकडून जन्मलेल्या मुलांना संबंधित देशांचे नागरिकत्व मिळेल अशा अर्थाचे प्रतीज्ञापत्र घेतले जाईल. ऑस्ट्रेलिया , जपान , फ्रान्स , जर्मनीसह अनेक युरोपिअन देशांमध्ये सरोगसीवर बंदी आहे. ' युके ' मध्ये सरोगसीसाठी गर्भाशय वापरण्यास देताना बदल्यात पैसे घेता येत नाहीत. सरोगसीतून जन्मलेल्या अनेक मुलांना संबंधित देशांनी नागरिकत्व नाकारल्याने भारतात त्यांच्या नागरिकत्वाचे प्रश्न निर्माण झाले आहेत.
सरोगसी तंत्रज्ञानाचा वापर करून कृत्रिम गर्भधारणेसाठी गर्भाशय भाड्याने देणारी महिला आणि जन्मणाऱ्या मुलाचे हक्क डावलले जाऊ नयेत यासाठी केंद्र सरकारने महत्त्वाचे पाऊल उचलले आहे. येत्या हिवाळी अधिवेशनात त्यासंदर्भात एक विधेयक आणण्यात येणार आहे.
सरोगसीची सेवा घेणाऱ्या संबंधित जोडप्याच्या सामाजिक , वैद्यकीय आणि नैतिक अधिकारांचे रक्षण करण्यासंदर्भात या विधेयकात तरतुदी आहेत. द असिस्टेड रिप्रॉडक्टिव टेक्नॉलॉजी रेग्युलेशन (एआरटी) असे या विधेयकाचे नाव असून ते कायदा मंत्रालयाकडे मंजुरीसाठी पाठवण्यात आले आहे. या विधेयकानुसार अशा गुन्ह्यांसाठी पाच वर्षांचा तुरुंगवास आणि मोठ्या दंडाची तरतूद करण्यात आली आहे.
नव्या विधेयकानुसार ज्या देशांत सरोगसीवर बंदी आहे अशा देशातील जोडप्यांना भारतात ही सेवा घेता येणार नाही , अशी माहिती वैद्यकीय संशोधन सचिव व्ही. एम. कटोच यांनी दिली. परदेशी जोडप्यांना ही सेवा देणाऱ्या संस्थांकडून जन्मलेल्या मुलांना संबंधित देशांचे नागरिकत्व मिळेल अशा अर्थाचे प्रतीज्ञापत्र घेतले जाईल. ऑस्ट्रेलिया , जपान , फ्रान्स , जर्मनीसह अनेक युरोपिअन देशांमध्ये सरोगसीवर बंदी आहे. ' युके ' मध्ये सरोगसीसाठी गर्भाशय वापरण्यास देताना बदल्यात पैसे घेता येत नाहीत. सरोगसीतून जन्मलेल्या अनेक मुलांना संबंधित देशांनी नागरिकत्व नाकारल्याने भारतात त्यांच्या नागरिकत्वाचे प्रश्न निर्माण झाले आहेत.
17-yr-old egg donor dead, HC questions fertility centre’s role
Mumbai (Indian Express, Mayura Janwalkar) :
Not much is known about Sushma Pandey’s death, except that she was 17 years old, died suddenly and had visited a fertility clinic just two days earlier — at least the third time she was doing so in 18 months.
Now, almost two years after she died, Sushma’s case may bring under the spotlight the hushed world in which India’s assisted reproductive clinics operate — the brief, vacuous Bollywood shine upon them after Vicky Donor notwithstanding.
Allowing the discharge plea filed by the man blamed by Sushma’s mother Pramila for her death, Bombay High Court recently pulled up the police for not probing the role of the hospital in the circumstances that led to her death.
“Curiously, the chargesheet does not show that the investigating machinery had proceeded against Rotunda Hospital, which has a record of the victim being an egg donor on three occasions prior to the unfortunate incident, in flagrant violation of the requirement that such a donor has to be between the ages of 18 years and 35 years, when the victim was only 17 years on the last occasion... and she had been donating eggs for at least one-and-a-half years before this,” observed Justice R C Chavan.
The person who is alleged to have taken Sushma to the clinic the last time, Samaullah alias Shanu, is also booked in the case. His discharge plea is pending before a sessions court.
Investigations by officers of the Saki Naka police station revealed that Sushma had been going to ‘Rotunda — The Centre for Human Reproduction’ in Bandra as an egg or oocyte donor, and had visited the hospital in February 2009, October 2009 and possibly February 2010. Hospital records also indicate that Sushma was admitted there on August 8, 2010, at 8.30 am and discharged the same day at 7.30 pm.
The next day, she complained of abdominal pain. On August 10, 2010, Sushma died.
Senior Police Inspector Samadhan Dhanedhar of the Saki Naka police station said police were waiting for the report of a committee of J J Hospital doctors to decide their next course of action. “We have sought the report to find out whether or not we can proceed against the hospital in a case like this. We are expecting the report soon.”
The Rotunda centre confirmed that Sushma had donated eggs thrice. However, Goral Gandhi, Vice-President, Operations, said she had registered with them as Sushma Dubey.
In an email, Gandhi wrote, “As per our SOPs, the PAN card is taken as the proof of age. When she first approached us in February 2009, she showed us a PAN card which reflected her age as 19 years.” Gandhi also wrote, “Subsequently we were informed by the police that she had produced a fake PAN card and withheld her correct name and age. We were advised by the police to keep a copy of all egg donors’ PAN cards, which we are now following.”
In the absence of a legislation to govern fertility clinics, the industry runs on guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research. According to the latest guidelines, an egg donor has to be between 21 and 35 years old. Gandhi, however, said the guidelines are periodically revised and when Sushma first approached them in 2009, the guidelines permitted women between the ages of 18 and 35 to donate eggs. The gap between donations has to be at least three months, which was followed in Sushma’s case. The Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill, 2010 is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
Her family, which says it had no idea that Sushma donated eggs, blamed Sunil Chaumal, the owner of the scrap depot where Sushma worked, for her death. On August 11, 2010, her mother Pramila filed a complaint against Chaumal, accusing him of kidnapping and poisoning.
The family said Sushma had not returned home from work on August 7, 2010. “We went to Chaumal to ask where she had gone. He dissuaded us from filing a police complaint and said Sushma would come home,” Pramila told The Indian Express.
On August 9, the family says, Chaumal informed them that Sushma had been found but was feeling unwell. She was taken to a private doctor who asked the family to take her to Rajawadi Hospital. Sushma was brought home from the hospital that night. However, the next day too she complained of abdominal pain and was taken to the hospital again. “She was nearly unconscious and kept running her hand on her stomach,” Pramila said. She died in hospital the same day.
Post-mortem reports stated that there was one abrasion, four contusions and a blood clot in the head, plus six injection marks. “The probable cause of death, certified by the doctor, was shock possibly due to such multiple injuries,” the court said. However, it noted, “The histopathological report showed some congestion in ovaries and uterus.”
The police also learnt during the probe that a woman named Noorjahan posed as Sushma’s guardian and accompanied her to Rotunda. On August 9, she allegedly took Sushma to Govandi, and from there asked Chaumal to pick her up on August 9, 2010.
In her statement to the police, Noorjahan said that Sushma stayed in the house of one Iqbal Hussain on August 7 and an autorickshaw driver, Rakesh Bhat, dropped her to Bandra (where the clinic is located) the next day. Noorjahan said Samaullah had brought Sushma to the hospital. The role of Hussain, Bhatt and Noorjahan is unclear as the police have not booked any of them.
Sushma’s family also denies receiving any money from her egg donations, though police say she was paid Rs 25,000 each time. She had allegedly given the cheque she received in August 2010 to Noorjahan and said she would collect the cash a day later.
“If Sushma had donated ovum thrice, she should have been paid Rs 75,000. But we have not received a paisa of the money she earned,” Pramila said. She also denies knowing anyone called Noorjahan.
About egg donation
* It is a process in assisted reproduction in which the donor provides eggs, ova or oocytes for fertilisation in a laboratory. The donor is injected with stimulating hormones.
* Donors are classified ‘regular’ and ‘diva’. Diva donors are usually educated and from privileged backgrounds. They are paid as per their social standing, educational qualifications and physical appearance.
* As per ICMR guidelines, an egg donor has to be between 21 and 35 years. Apart from blood group and physical fitness, their height, weight, educational qualification, profession must be recorded.
* There has to be a gap of three months between donations.
Not much is known about Sushma Pandey’s death, except that she was 17 years old, died suddenly and had visited a fertility clinic just two days earlier — at least the third time she was doing so in 18 months.
Now, almost two years after she died, Sushma’s case may bring under the spotlight the hushed world in which India’s assisted reproductive clinics operate — the brief, vacuous Bollywood shine upon them after Vicky Donor notwithstanding.
Allowing the discharge plea filed by the man blamed by Sushma’s mother Pramila for her death, Bombay High Court recently pulled up the police for not probing the role of the hospital in the circumstances that led to her death.
“Curiously, the chargesheet does not show that the investigating machinery had proceeded against Rotunda Hospital, which has a record of the victim being an egg donor on three occasions prior to the unfortunate incident, in flagrant violation of the requirement that such a donor has to be between the ages of 18 years and 35 years, when the victim was only 17 years on the last occasion... and she had been donating eggs for at least one-and-a-half years before this,” observed Justice R C Chavan.
The person who is alleged to have taken Sushma to the clinic the last time, Samaullah alias Shanu, is also booked in the case. His discharge plea is pending before a sessions court.
Investigations by officers of the Saki Naka police station revealed that Sushma had been going to ‘Rotunda — The Centre for Human Reproduction’ in Bandra as an egg or oocyte donor, and had visited the hospital in February 2009, October 2009 and possibly February 2010. Hospital records also indicate that Sushma was admitted there on August 8, 2010, at 8.30 am and discharged the same day at 7.30 pm.
The next day, she complained of abdominal pain. On August 10, 2010, Sushma died.
Senior Police Inspector Samadhan Dhanedhar of the Saki Naka police station said police were waiting for the report of a committee of J J Hospital doctors to decide their next course of action. “We have sought the report to find out whether or not we can proceed against the hospital in a case like this. We are expecting the report soon.”
The Rotunda centre confirmed that Sushma had donated eggs thrice. However, Goral Gandhi, Vice-President, Operations, said she had registered with them as Sushma Dubey.
In an email, Gandhi wrote, “As per our SOPs, the PAN card is taken as the proof of age. When she first approached us in February 2009, she showed us a PAN card which reflected her age as 19 years.” Gandhi also wrote, “Subsequently we were informed by the police that she had produced a fake PAN card and withheld her correct name and age. We were advised by the police to keep a copy of all egg donors’ PAN cards, which we are now following.”
In the absence of a legislation to govern fertility clinics, the industry runs on guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research. According to the latest guidelines, an egg donor has to be between 21 and 35 years old. Gandhi, however, said the guidelines are periodically revised and when Sushma first approached them in 2009, the guidelines permitted women between the ages of 18 and 35 to donate eggs. The gap between donations has to be at least three months, which was followed in Sushma’s case. The Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill, 2010 is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
Her family, which says it had no idea that Sushma donated eggs, blamed Sunil Chaumal, the owner of the scrap depot where Sushma worked, for her death. On August 11, 2010, her mother Pramila filed a complaint against Chaumal, accusing him of kidnapping and poisoning.
The family said Sushma had not returned home from work on August 7, 2010. “We went to Chaumal to ask where she had gone. He dissuaded us from filing a police complaint and said Sushma would come home,” Pramila told The Indian Express.
On August 9, the family says, Chaumal informed them that Sushma had been found but was feeling unwell. She was taken to a private doctor who asked the family to take her to Rajawadi Hospital. Sushma was brought home from the hospital that night. However, the next day too she complained of abdominal pain and was taken to the hospital again. “She was nearly unconscious and kept running her hand on her stomach,” Pramila said. She died in hospital the same day.
Post-mortem reports stated that there was one abrasion, four contusions and a blood clot in the head, plus six injection marks. “The probable cause of death, certified by the doctor, was shock possibly due to such multiple injuries,” the court said. However, it noted, “The histopathological report showed some congestion in ovaries and uterus.”
The police also learnt during the probe that a woman named Noorjahan posed as Sushma’s guardian and accompanied her to Rotunda. On August 9, she allegedly took Sushma to Govandi, and from there asked Chaumal to pick her up on August 9, 2010.
In her statement to the police, Noorjahan said that Sushma stayed in the house of one Iqbal Hussain on August 7 and an autorickshaw driver, Rakesh Bhat, dropped her to Bandra (where the clinic is located) the next day. Noorjahan said Samaullah had brought Sushma to the hospital. The role of Hussain, Bhatt and Noorjahan is unclear as the police have not booked any of them.
Sushma’s family also denies receiving any money from her egg donations, though police say she was paid Rs 25,000 each time. She had allegedly given the cheque she received in August 2010 to Noorjahan and said she would collect the cash a day later.
“If Sushma had donated ovum thrice, she should have been paid Rs 75,000. But we have not received a paisa of the money she earned,” Pramila said. She also denies knowing anyone called Noorjahan.
About egg donation
* It is a process in assisted reproduction in which the donor provides eggs, ova or oocytes for fertilisation in a laboratory. The donor is injected with stimulating hormones.
* Donors are classified ‘regular’ and ‘diva’. Diva donors are usually educated and from privileged backgrounds. They are paid as per their social standing, educational qualifications and physical appearance.
* As per ICMR guidelines, an egg donor has to be between 21 and 35 years. Apart from blood group and physical fitness, their height, weight, educational qualification, profession must be recorded.
* There has to be a gap of three months between donations.
Surrogate mom ‘retires’ after 10 children
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Jill Hawkins
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Jill Hawkins, 47, insists premature twins Jacob and William will be the last children she carries over her 20-year “career”, Daily Mail reported. Her decision has been prompted by the serious complications she suffered during her pregnancy.
The twins were delivered via an emergency Caesarean eight weeks early. Jacob and William, are now in incubators in intensive care. Friday night Hawkins, who is single, said she is ending her career as a surrogate mother.
When she had her first baby for a couple, she lied to her bosses about the pregnancy.
She invented a boyfriend and then claimed the baby had died, causing her colleagues to send her sympathy cards. She insists being a surrogate mother is fulfilling and urges other women to consider it.
Anand celebrates birth of 500th test tube baby
AHMEDABAD (TOI) : Anand the global surrogacy capital has some reasons to cheer. The 500 test tube baby was born in the surrogacy capital and that too a twin.
The delivery of the twin bought a immense joy to the childless couple, but was a moment of celebration for the town as it marked the birth of the 500th birth surrogate and test tube child for the clinic.
The clinic in order to share its happiness with those associated also held a small ceremony which was joined by not only the recently born twins but also many other surrogate mothers and their families.
Doctors at the clinic say that childless couples from around 29 countries including India, USA, UK, and Pakistan turn to Anand seeking help of surrogate mothers to give birth to their babies. According to them, babies born through In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) have shown a ratio of 253 boys and 247 girls at the clinic.
"It is a good feeling. After a long struggle and controversies we have been able to spread happiness to 500 childless homes," said Dr Nayna Patel, who is considered to be one of the pioneers in IVF surrogacy.
The delivery of the twin bought a immense joy to the childless couple, but was a moment of celebration for the town as it marked the birth of the 500th birth surrogate and test tube child for the clinic.
The clinic in order to share its happiness with those associated also held a small ceremony which was joined by not only the recently born twins but also many other surrogate mothers and their families.
Doctors at the clinic say that childless couples from around 29 countries including India, USA, UK, and Pakistan turn to Anand seeking help of surrogate mothers to give birth to their babies. According to them, babies born through In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) have shown a ratio of 253 boys and 247 girls at the clinic.
"It is a good feeling. After a long struggle and controversies we have been able to spread happiness to 500 childless homes," said Dr Nayna Patel, who is considered to be one of the pioneers in IVF surrogacy.
चित्त्यांना जन्म देण्यासाठी बिबट्या ‘सरोगेट मदर’
अहमदाबाद (दिव्य मराठी नेटवर्क)
- चित्त्यांच्या संख्येत वाढ करण्यासाठी गुजरात सरकारने ‘सरोगेट मदर’
पद्धतीचा अवलंब करण्याचे ठरवले आहे. चित्त्यांची पैदास करण्यासाठी मादी
बिबट्यांचा सरोगेट मदर म्हणून वापर केला जाणार आहे. स्कॉटलंडचे डॉ. बिल
रीची यांनी पंधरा वर्षांपूर्वी क्लोनिंगद्वारे डॉली मेंढी तयार केली होती.
आता चित्त्यांची पैदास करण्यासाठीही त्यांची मदत घेतली जाणार आहे.
गुजरातेतील
जुनागड येथील सक्करबाग प्राणिसंग्रहालयात तीन आफ्रिकन चित्ते आहेत. 2009
मध्ये सिंगापूरमधून तीन गीर सिंहांच्या बदल्यात हे चित्ते आणले गेले.
गुजरातचे मुख्य वनसंरक्षक प्रदीप खन्ना यांनी या योजनेसंबंधी माहिती दिली
आहे. त्यांनी सांगितले की, ‘चित्ता हा स्वभावत:च लाजाळू प्राणी आहे.
त्यामुळे मादी चित्त्याने प्राणिसंग्रहालयात गर्भधारणा करून पिलाला जन्म
दिल्याची उदाहरणे फार कमी आहेत. कोणत्याही प्रकारे चित्त्यांच्या संख्येत
वाढ करण्याचा आमचा प्रयत्न आहे. या दिशेने वाटचाल करण्यासाठी आम्ही जगातील
नामांकित तज्ज्ञांची मदत घेतली आहे. कृत्रिम गर्भधारणा आणि सरोगेसी हे
दोन प्रयोग आम्ही राबवणार आहोत.’
डॉ. रीची यांनी प्रथमच एखाद्या
भारतीय प्रकल्पात रुची दाखवली असून काही दिवसांपूर्वी डॉ. रीची यांनी
गुजरातचा दौरा केला. गुजरात सरकारतर्फे या प्रकल्पासाठी सुमारे 19 लाख
रुपयांचा निधी उपलब्ध करून देण्यात आला आहे.
Surrogacy made easier in South Australia
The Australian News: SOUTH Australia has fallen into line with other states by changing its surrogacy laws.
SA women will now be able to access a surrogate if their life or health would be put in serious danger through a traditional pregnancy.
State parliament has also approved a change to define a woman who cannot carry a child to full term as infertile, allowing them to use a surrogate.
The changes bring SA into line with Western Australia, Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Liberal MP Rachel Sanderson said the amendments were sparked by a woman who came to her this year upset because she feared she would never be able to have another child.
"Having required a wheelchair for six months and suffering serious health implications through the delivery of her first child, she was told that even though she was fertile she would be unlikely to ever walk again if she attempted to carry another child," Ms Sanderson said.
SA women will now be able to access a surrogate if their life or health would be put in serious danger through a traditional pregnancy.
State parliament has also approved a change to define a woman who cannot carry a child to full term as infertile, allowing them to use a surrogate.
The changes bring SA into line with Western Australia, Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Liberal MP Rachel Sanderson said the amendments were sparked by a woman who came to her this year upset because she feared she would never be able to have another child.
"Having required a wheelchair for six months and suffering serious health implications through the delivery of her first child, she was told that even though she was fertile she would be unlikely to ever walk again if she attempted to carry another child," Ms Sanderson said.
India becoming a designer baby factory: Author Kishwar Desai
Delhi : Life is no longer a gift of love; it is being created with care to fit specifications furnished by parents in the age of surrogacy and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), says award-winning writer Kishwar Desai.
Desai`s new social thriller ‘Origins of Love’ (Simon & Schuster) probes the world of surrogacy and designer babies.
"India is becoming a baby factory. Last year over 25,000 babies were born out of IVF and surrogacy in India. Rich people in the country can afford designer babies now," Desai said in an interview.
"Earlier it was a form of colonisation, but now studies show the numbers are divided equally - 50 percent of surrogate babies are born to rich Indian parents and 50 percent to foreigners by Indian surrogates...," said the writer, quoting figures from the research she undertook for writing her book and columns.
Desai`s novel is a sequel to her first book – ‘Witness by Night’ - on female foeticide.
The thread is Simran Singh, a feisty middle-aged social worker and a single mother from the first book, who carries the narrative forward.
"I have taken my book beyond the new Bollywood movie, `Vicky Donor`, which is about sperm donation and shows it as a comfort zone. I wanted to explore the discomfort zone. The kids born of the same DNA (eggs) might carry an infected strain of it."
"In the UK, a child can find out the name of the father and mother, but in India, there is no law. The donors are very poor and usually use the money to give their own children a better start in life...," Desai said.
The novel is grim in its depiction of surrogacy - ratcheting up the fear of the "unknown" in children born out of unidentified egg donors and ensuing dilemmas.
A baby is abandoned in the national capital. A product of IVF and surrogacy, she was coveted until she was diagnosed with the fatal AIDS virus. No one knows how the infection was transferred into her.
The baby`s fate touches many lives - that of a childless couple in London, doctors, IVF clinics, Simran the social worker and a multi-billion dollar IVF and surrogacy business that is heartless, unethical and unchecked in India.
A whole new body of surrogacy language like commissioning parents, who hire surrogate mothers for their babies, and gestational mother, who rents her womb but cannot get emotionally-attached to the child, has come into being in the IVF clinics, the writer said.
"Surrogacy contracts - usually kept under wraps - stipulate that the lives of the babies are more precious than the mothers and in case of life-threatening situations, the baby has to be delivered safely," she said.
"Surrogacy is an international project. Commissioning parents now look for fairer babies with coloured eyes, bringing into picture women from Europe and Ukraine as surrogates - especially in countries like India. Donors with good educational qualifications and achievements are sought after...," she said.
The casualty is emotion. "This baby production process has no emotional quotient, just detachment. It is advance science which makes it possible."
Explaining with rather gut-wrenching instances, Desai said "she came to know of a woman who was administered 25 cycles of IVF treatment for surrogacy while another was forced to carry four embryos in her womb out of which the healthiest one was allowed to live and the rest were removed during pregnancy".
"This process of elimination is known as foetal reduction... it is very scary. There are several grey areas in the Indian surrogacy business about women`s rights to their bodies, choices and ethics that need to be addressed," she said.
"The gay community is using it a lot. They have access to their own DNA and look for a surrogate mother. British musician Elton John has one such child and is planning another one. A lot of other celebrities are going through it," the writer said.
Ref:http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bookworm/india-becoming-a-designer-baby-factory-author-kishwar-desai_2343.htm
Desai`s new social thriller ‘Origins of Love’ (Simon & Schuster) probes the world of surrogacy and designer babies.
"India is becoming a baby factory. Last year over 25,000 babies were born out of IVF and surrogacy in India. Rich people in the country can afford designer babies now," Desai said in an interview.
"Earlier it was a form of colonisation, but now studies show the numbers are divided equally - 50 percent of surrogate babies are born to rich Indian parents and 50 percent to foreigners by Indian surrogates...," said the writer, quoting figures from the research she undertook for writing her book and columns.
Desai`s novel is a sequel to her first book – ‘Witness by Night’ - on female foeticide.
The thread is Simran Singh, a feisty middle-aged social worker and a single mother from the first book, who carries the narrative forward.
"I have taken my book beyond the new Bollywood movie, `Vicky Donor`, which is about sperm donation and shows it as a comfort zone. I wanted to explore the discomfort zone. The kids born of the same DNA (eggs) might carry an infected strain of it."
"In the UK, a child can find out the name of the father and mother, but in India, there is no law. The donors are very poor and usually use the money to give their own children a better start in life...," Desai said.
The novel is grim in its depiction of surrogacy - ratcheting up the fear of the "unknown" in children born out of unidentified egg donors and ensuing dilemmas.
A baby is abandoned in the national capital. A product of IVF and surrogacy, she was coveted until she was diagnosed with the fatal AIDS virus. No one knows how the infection was transferred into her.
The baby`s fate touches many lives - that of a childless couple in London, doctors, IVF clinics, Simran the social worker and a multi-billion dollar IVF and surrogacy business that is heartless, unethical and unchecked in India.
A whole new body of surrogacy language like commissioning parents, who hire surrogate mothers for their babies, and gestational mother, who rents her womb but cannot get emotionally-attached to the child, has come into being in the IVF clinics, the writer said.
"Surrogacy contracts - usually kept under wraps - stipulate that the lives of the babies are more precious than the mothers and in case of life-threatening situations, the baby has to be delivered safely," she said.
"Surrogacy is an international project. Commissioning parents now look for fairer babies with coloured eyes, bringing into picture women from Europe and Ukraine as surrogates - especially in countries like India. Donors with good educational qualifications and achievements are sought after...," she said.
The casualty is emotion. "This baby production process has no emotional quotient, just detachment. It is advance science which makes it possible."
Explaining with rather gut-wrenching instances, Desai said "she came to know of a woman who was administered 25 cycles of IVF treatment for surrogacy while another was forced to carry four embryos in her womb out of which the healthiest one was allowed to live and the rest were removed during pregnancy".
"This process of elimination is known as foetal reduction... it is very scary. There are several grey areas in the Indian surrogacy business about women`s rights to their bodies, choices and ethics that need to be addressed," she said.
"The gay community is using it a lot. They have access to their own DNA and look for a surrogate mother. British musician Elton John has one such child and is planning another one. A lot of other celebrities are going through it," the writer said.
Ref:http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bookworm/india-becoming-a-designer-baby-factory-author-kishwar-desai_2343.htm
Govt mouthpiece bats for surrogacy tourism
Branding surrogacy as “reproductive tourism”, the official mouthpiece of the Gujarat government has described the practice as a money-spinner for both the state and the surrogates. This comes even as issues surrounding commercial surrogacy continue to be debated.
The quarterly magazine (The Gujarat-English Version), published by the state Commissionerate of Information, carries a cover story on Swami Vivekananda and has a “special feature” on reproductive tourism.
The quarterly magazine (The Gujarat-English Version), published by the state Commissionerate of Information, carries a cover story on Swami Vivekananda and has a “special feature” on reproductive tourism.
Fatwa against surrogacy
Lucknow (Sanjay Pandey-DECCAN HERALD) : A new fatwa (religious decree), issued by a prominent Uttar Pradesh based Islamic institution has asked the Muslims to avoid surrogacy (an arrangement in which a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple or person) and test tube babies as they were not allowed in Islam.
The fatwa issued by the Darul Ifta (fatwa section) of the Bareilly Markaz (centre), based at UP’s Bareilly town, says that it was “un-islamic” to have children through surrogacy or by any artificial means. “Islam does not allow a person to have child through unnatural means,” Mufti Kafil Ahmed, a prominent cleric with the fatwa section, said. The fatwa has been issued in response to a query. “Can a childless couple, who does not want to adopt a child, avail the services of a surrogate mother or go for a test tube baby,” the questioner sought to know from the Markaz.
Mufti Kafil said under no circumstances can surrogacy and test tube babies be allowed in Islam as they go against its tenets.
He also said that at a seminar of prominent muslim clerics held a few years back at Bareilly, it had been declared that artificial methods to have children were against the “shariat” (islamic laws) and thus they should be avoided. “The clerics were in union on this issue,” he said. Bareilly Markaz is a prestigious islamic centre and has a large following in the world.
Surrogacy, though not an old phenomenon in India, has been gaining popularity among the childless couples. More and more people are now opting for surrogacy or test tube babies if they do not want to adopt
The fatwa issued by the Darul Ifta (fatwa section) of the Bareilly Markaz (centre), based at UP’s Bareilly town, says that it was “un-islamic” to have children through surrogacy or by any artificial means. “Islam does not allow a person to have child through unnatural means,” Mufti Kafil Ahmed, a prominent cleric with the fatwa section, said. The fatwa has been issued in response to a query. “Can a childless couple, who does not want to adopt a child, avail the services of a surrogate mother or go for a test tube baby,” the questioner sought to know from the Markaz.
Mufti Kafil said under no circumstances can surrogacy and test tube babies be allowed in Islam as they go against its tenets.
He also said that at a seminar of prominent muslim clerics held a few years back at Bareilly, it had been declared that artificial methods to have children were against the “shariat” (islamic laws) and thus they should be avoided. “The clerics were in union on this issue,” he said. Bareilly Markaz is a prestigious islamic centre and has a large following in the world.
Surrogacy, though not an old phenomenon in India, has been gaining popularity among the childless couples. More and more people are now opting for surrogacy or test tube babies if they do not want to adopt
Surrogacy or coma, is the choice in Amraiwadi
Ahmedabad (Kinjal Desai-DNA) : Living dangerously is nothing new for a majority of the women of Ward 56 of Amraiwadi area, even if the risks that the women take are merely to escape the poverty that bedevils the locality.
More than 70% of the women in Amraiwadi are forced to make ends meet either by donating blood for money or by volunteering to be guinea pigs for pharmaceutical companies.
Among the medicines for which clinical trials are conducted on women volunteers from the area are drugs for treatment of comatose patients. If they recover from the artificially induced coma, they can hope to earn as much as Rs1 lakh. If something goes wrong and a volunteer does not come out of coma, she gets nothing unless her spouse has been informed from before.
The women have a third, equally hazardous, option and, that is, to become surrogate mothers for wealthy foreign couples who cannot have children.
The recent incident in which a 36-year-old surrogate mother died in the eighth month of pregnancy may have shocked people and made them aware of the medical risks involved in this ethically suspect activity. But for a majority of the women in Amraiwadi surrogacy offers them a way to earn money to pay off debts, medical bills or sometimes simply the expenses of a large family.
They disregard the medical risks involved merely for the money that surrogacy offers.
The estimated population of Amraiwadi Ward No 56 is 92,000. Purshottam Parmar, who runs an NGO, RAAH, said that 70% of the people in this area - that is around 64,000 individuals - frequently adopt risky ways to earn some money. Parmar's NGO has been working with the poor in the area in an effort to try and stop them from volunteering for dangerous work.
"Three years back, around 40-50% of the population of this area used to earn their livelihood by accepting dangerous work. Their numbers have gone up and now nearly 70% donate blood, volunteer to serve as guinea pigs for pharma companies or become surrogate mothers in an endless battle against poverty", he said.
Parmar further said that the poor in Amraiwadi comprise dalits, Vagharis and migrant workers from UP, Bihar and other states. They are largely in the unorganised sector and are daily-wage earners. They live in rented houses for which they pay a minimum Rs1000-1500 per month.
As for the women, they work either as housemaids or as cooks for families living in nearby localities, Parmar said. However, cooking as an option is available mainly during the wedding season when a woman can expect to earn Rs200-300 on a daily basis. Some women make incense sticks at home or do stitching work. Some survive by rag-picking. But the earning from none of these occupations is enough to run a family of four or five, said Parmar.
"Most women have six mouths to feed - husband and wife, two children and parents. Since the men are employed in the unorganised sector, they get work only for 20 days a month, earning Rs100-150 daily. The men spend most of their earnings on liquor, gambling, ghutka, and the like. Hence their women have to earn to sustain their families," Parmar said.
Of the people from the area who volunteer for clinical trials of new medicines, most are women. However, youths in age group of 25-30 years have started volunteering for these tests to pay for expensive bikes, hi-tech mobile phones and other gadgets. "For clinical trial of safer medicines, women and youth are paid Rs8000 to Rs10,000 and, more often than not, their families are not informed about the tests. A person who volunteers for trials of HIV or cancer medicines is paid anywhere between Rs15,000 to Rs30,000," said Parmar.
He further said that the biggest earners are women who volunteer for tests of medicines used to treat comatose patients. "For such tests, the volunteers have to stay in Mumbai for six months. If they recover from the artificially induced coma, they are paid Rs80,000 to Rs1 lakh. If anything goes wrong during the test and a volunteer does not come out of coma, she gets nothing unless her spouse has been informed from before. Then the spouse is paid money to keep him quiet," said Parmar.
Surrogacy is becoming common among women of Ward 56. Parmar said a surrogate mother is paid Rs1 lakh to Rs2.5 lakh for bearing a single child. If she gives birth to twins, she can ask for any amount she wants, said Parmar.
More than 70% of the women in Amraiwadi are forced to make ends meet either by donating blood for money or by volunteering to be guinea pigs for pharmaceutical companies.
Among the medicines for which clinical trials are conducted on women volunteers from the area are drugs for treatment of comatose patients. If they recover from the artificially induced coma, they can hope to earn as much as Rs1 lakh. If something goes wrong and a volunteer does not come out of coma, she gets nothing unless her spouse has been informed from before.
The women have a third, equally hazardous, option and, that is, to become surrogate mothers for wealthy foreign couples who cannot have children.
The recent incident in which a 36-year-old surrogate mother died in the eighth month of pregnancy may have shocked people and made them aware of the medical risks involved in this ethically suspect activity. But for a majority of the women in Amraiwadi surrogacy offers them a way to earn money to pay off debts, medical bills or sometimes simply the expenses of a large family.
They disregard the medical risks involved merely for the money that surrogacy offers.
The estimated population of Amraiwadi Ward No 56 is 92,000. Purshottam Parmar, who runs an NGO, RAAH, said that 70% of the people in this area - that is around 64,000 individuals - frequently adopt risky ways to earn some money. Parmar's NGO has been working with the poor in the area in an effort to try and stop them from volunteering for dangerous work.
"Three years back, around 40-50% of the population of this area used to earn their livelihood by accepting dangerous work. Their numbers have gone up and now nearly 70% donate blood, volunteer to serve as guinea pigs for pharma companies or become surrogate mothers in an endless battle against poverty", he said.
Parmar further said that the poor in Amraiwadi comprise dalits, Vagharis and migrant workers from UP, Bihar and other states. They are largely in the unorganised sector and are daily-wage earners. They live in rented houses for which they pay a minimum Rs1000-1500 per month.
As for the women, they work either as housemaids or as cooks for families living in nearby localities, Parmar said. However, cooking as an option is available mainly during the wedding season when a woman can expect to earn Rs200-300 on a daily basis. Some women make incense sticks at home or do stitching work. Some survive by rag-picking. But the earning from none of these occupations is enough to run a family of four or five, said Parmar.
"Most women have six mouths to feed - husband and wife, two children and parents. Since the men are employed in the unorganised sector, they get work only for 20 days a month, earning Rs100-150 daily. The men spend most of their earnings on liquor, gambling, ghutka, and the like. Hence their women have to earn to sustain their families," Parmar said.
Of the people from the area who volunteer for clinical trials of new medicines, most are women. However, youths in age group of 25-30 years have started volunteering for these tests to pay for expensive bikes, hi-tech mobile phones and other gadgets. "For clinical trial of safer medicines, women and youth are paid Rs8000 to Rs10,000 and, more often than not, their families are not informed about the tests. A person who volunteers for trials of HIV or cancer medicines is paid anywhere between Rs15,000 to Rs30,000," said Parmar.
He further said that the biggest earners are women who volunteer for tests of medicines used to treat comatose patients. "For such tests, the volunteers have to stay in Mumbai for six months. If they recover from the artificially induced coma, they are paid Rs80,000 to Rs1 lakh. If anything goes wrong during the test and a volunteer does not come out of coma, she gets nothing unless her spouse has been informed from before. Then the spouse is paid money to keep him quiet," said Parmar.
Surrogacy is becoming common among women of Ward 56. Parmar said a surrogate mother is paid Rs1 lakh to Rs2.5 lakh for bearing a single child. If she gives birth to twins, she can ask for any amount she wants, said Parmar.
Surrogate mother dies of complications
AHMEDABAD (TOI) : Premila Vaghela, 30, had opted to become a surrogate mother and deliver child of a US-based couple to supplement her family income and brighten the future of her own two kids.
On Wednesday, Premila, who was eight months pregnant, died due to unexplained complications. But she completed her job - the child was delivered and is in the NICU recuperating from early birth.
Surrogacy has picked up majorly all over Gujarat where Anand is considered the global surrogacy capital. Ahmedabad too caters to a big number of couples who medically need a womb to carry their child. Couples are known to pay anywhere between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh to women who offer their wombs on rent to conceive and deliver the child. The decent money offered by couples, majority of who are NRGs and foreigners, attracts many women from poor socio-economic backgrounds to offer themselves as surrogates.
Premila paid the price of offering herself as surrogate with her life. Dr Manish Banker of Pulse Hospital, where Premila was a surrogate, said that they are clueless as to why Premila developed a fatal health incident. Dr Banker specializes in offering In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) services.
"Premila had come for routine check-up and was sitting in the hospital. While she was chatting with her husband Karsan, she suddenly had a convulsion and fell on the floor. We immediately took her for treatment. Since she was showing signs of distress, we conducted an emergency caesarean section delivery," said Dr Banker. The child, who was born a month premature, was admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Dr Banker said that the child should be stable soon.
Meanwhile, Premila developed severe complications and she was shifted to Sterling Hospital for better intensive care. "We shifted her to Sterling Hospital for intensive care but she failed to respond and died," said Dr Banker.
Sterling Hospital officials said that Premila was brought to the hospital in an extremely critical condition. "She was suffering a major cardiac arrest. We tried to resuscitate her but she succumbed," said a senior official.
Dr Banker said that they had notified the death to the police and details of post-mortem report were awaited to know the exact cause of death. Vastrapur police said a case of accidental death had been filed. and further inquiry would be conducted on basis of the post-mortem report.
On Wednesday, Premila, who was eight months pregnant, died due to unexplained complications. But she completed her job - the child was delivered and is in the NICU recuperating from early birth.
Surrogacy has picked up majorly all over Gujarat where Anand is considered the global surrogacy capital. Ahmedabad too caters to a big number of couples who medically need a womb to carry their child. Couples are known to pay anywhere between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh to women who offer their wombs on rent to conceive and deliver the child. The decent money offered by couples, majority of who are NRGs and foreigners, attracts many women from poor socio-economic backgrounds to offer themselves as surrogates.
Premila paid the price of offering herself as surrogate with her life. Dr Manish Banker of Pulse Hospital, where Premila was a surrogate, said that they are clueless as to why Premila developed a fatal health incident. Dr Banker specializes in offering In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) services.
"Premila had come for routine check-up and was sitting in the hospital. While she was chatting with her husband Karsan, she suddenly had a convulsion and fell on the floor. We immediately took her for treatment. Since she was showing signs of distress, we conducted an emergency caesarean section delivery," said Dr Banker. The child, who was born a month premature, was admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Dr Banker said that the child should be stable soon.
Meanwhile, Premila developed severe complications and she was shifted to Sterling Hospital for better intensive care. "We shifted her to Sterling Hospital for intensive care but she failed to respond and died," said Dr Banker.
Sterling Hospital officials said that Premila was brought to the hospital in an extremely critical condition. "She was suffering a major cardiac arrest. We tried to resuscitate her but she succumbed," said a senior official.
Dr Banker said that they had notified the death to the police and details of post-mortem report were awaited to know the exact cause of death. Vastrapur police said a case of accidental death had been filed. and further inquiry would be conducted on basis of the post-mortem report.
India set to become a ‘pregnancy outsourcing’ hub
Chandigarh (Daily Bhaskar) : After gaining recognition in the IT sector, India is all set to become the pregnancy outsourcing hub in the world. The demand for surrogate mothers has been on the rise in the country, reports said.
In the past one year, the areas near Chandigarh have witnessed an increase of 40 per cent in the demand for surrogacy. On the other hand, the demand for surrogacy in the country as a whole has also been on the rise.
The demand of surrogacy has also been coming from the foreign nationals. One of the renowned embryologists, Dr Nirmal Bhasin, reveals that her IVF center has witnessed more than 24 cases of surrogacy in the past couple of years. There has been an increased demand of surrogacy by the NRI couples, she said.
The NRI couples find the Indian surrogate mothers to be ideal, in relation to the identical origin. The gynecologist of Fortis Hospital, Dr Shanojeet Sodhi, stated that there is comparatively low cost demanded by Indian surrogate mothers in comparison to European countries. This is also one of the reasons as to why the foreign nationals are seeking Indian surrogate mothers, she said.
On the rise of surrogacy in these areas, she stated that the women in this part of the country are stronger and healthier. The case of surrogacy can go kaput in case the surrogate mother or the child faces health concerns during pregnancy.
There has also been an increase in the number of single women turning volunteers for surrogacy. One of the major reasons behind the interests of single women in surrogacy is the amount of money that one can earn.
According to reports, the Indian surrogacy market is likely to reach USD 6 billion in the coming year.
In the past one year, the areas near Chandigarh have witnessed an increase of 40 per cent in the demand for surrogacy. On the other hand, the demand for surrogacy in the country as a whole has also been on the rise.
The demand of surrogacy has also been coming from the foreign nationals. One of the renowned embryologists, Dr Nirmal Bhasin, reveals that her IVF center has witnessed more than 24 cases of surrogacy in the past couple of years. There has been an increased demand of surrogacy by the NRI couples, she said.
The NRI couples find the Indian surrogate mothers to be ideal, in relation to the identical origin. The gynecologist of Fortis Hospital, Dr Shanojeet Sodhi, stated that there is comparatively low cost demanded by Indian surrogate mothers in comparison to European countries. This is also one of the reasons as to why the foreign nationals are seeking Indian surrogate mothers, she said.
On the rise of surrogacy in these areas, she stated that the women in this part of the country are stronger and healthier. The case of surrogacy can go kaput in case the surrogate mother or the child faces health concerns during pregnancy.
There has also been an increase in the number of single women turning volunteers for surrogacy. One of the major reasons behind the interests of single women in surrogacy is the amount of money that one can earn.
According to reports, the Indian surrogacy market is likely to reach USD 6 billion in the coming year.
Fake kahaani to embrace motherhood!
Radha Sharma (Times of India) AHMEDABAD: Vidya Balan's prosthetic baby bump in the film 'Kahaani' lent a twist to its climax. But in real life, prosthetic bellies are often used by childless women who trust surrogate mothers to give birth to their babies but want their families to believe otherwise.
Many women from traditional communities can't tell their in-laws and extended families that they have employed a surrogate and instead walk around with strap-ons for nine months to simulate a pregnant stomach.
In an extreme case, a gynecologist couple chose to have an incision on the stomach of the wife with sutures so that it looked like a caesarean section. An artificial stomach would not have worked in their case as there were many doctors in the family who are more difficult to deceive.
Surrogacy expert from Anand Dr Naina Patel says an IIT-graduate couple from Chennai opted for an artificial stomach as the woman wanted to avoid the disapproval of her in-laws. "She did not have a uterus and her in-laws would never have accepted that the child was born through another's woman's womb," says Patel.
Hema Inamdar, a soft toy maker, specializes in fake tummies. "A woman called from the UK saying she felt she was actually carrying a baby when she wore the tummy," says Inamdar. One can get artificial stomachs in sets of three. The first set simulates three, five and seven months pregnancy. The other set simulates five, seven and nine months, with one set costing roughly Rs 1,000.
Fertility expert Dr Falguni Bavishi says NRI women too succumb to familial pressure. "A Gujarati woman in the US took artificial tummies with her after employing a surrogate, so that her in-laws would believe she was pregnant. She told them that she had to deliver the baby where the IVF treatment was done, got the baby from the surrogate and went back, her secret intact," says Dr Bavishi.
Many women from traditional communities can't tell their in-laws and extended families that they have employed a surrogate and instead walk around with strap-ons for nine months to simulate a pregnant stomach.
In an extreme case, a gynecologist couple chose to have an incision on the stomach of the wife with sutures so that it looked like a caesarean section. An artificial stomach would not have worked in their case as there were many doctors in the family who are more difficult to deceive.
Surrogacy expert from Anand Dr Naina Patel says an IIT-graduate couple from Chennai opted for an artificial stomach as the woman wanted to avoid the disapproval of her in-laws. "She did not have a uterus and her in-laws would never have accepted that the child was born through another's woman's womb," says Patel.
Hema Inamdar, a soft toy maker, specializes in fake tummies. "A woman called from the UK saying she felt she was actually carrying a baby when she wore the tummy," says Inamdar. One can get artificial stomachs in sets of three. The first set simulates three, five and seven months pregnancy. The other set simulates five, seven and nine months, with one set costing roughly Rs 1,000.
Fertility expert Dr Falguni Bavishi says NRI women too succumb to familial pressure. "A Gujarati woman in the US took artificial tummies with her after employing a surrogate, so that her in-laws would believe she was pregnant. She told them that she had to deliver the baby where the IVF treatment was done, got the baby from the surrogate and went back, her secret intact," says Dr Bavishi.
Surrogacy gives birth to twiblings
Radha Sharma (Times of India), AHMEDABAD: Canadian businesswoman from Toronto, Lisa Parker, 38, became a mother of two recently within a gap of just one month! After four miscarriages and four failed invitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, she opted for two surrogate mothers instead of one to improve her chances of becoming a parent as quickly as possible. It worked. Both surrogates delivered what experts call not twins, not siblings - but 'twiblings'.
Lisa is among a growing breed of childless foreigners and NRIs who come to India and employ two surrogates to increase chances of finally having their own child. Lisa chose to come to Anand, often termed the global surrogacy capital. "I am in Anand since February, away from my business and family. I was desperate to become a parent and hence decided to undertake two cycles of treatment every month, apart using two surrogates. My son Rom came first followed by daughter Lee," Lisa, who has her own software firm, told TOI.
Such children are called twiblings since one sperm sample of the husband is split in two and used to make two different embryos. Technically, they would be twins if they were carried in a single womb but since they were carried in different wombs, they are siblings. Surrogacy professionals say twiblings are becoming commonplace as many childless couples do not mind spending more for implanting the embryos in two surrogates to maximize their chances.
In fact, twiblings are the outcome of the pace at which we live our lives these days. Many foreigners and NRIs desperately want a child, but they can't afford to stay back in India for long periods. It is not possible to totally abandon both their careers and their families. "I have used two surrogates each for three couple so far. In one case, the conception happened simultaneously while in another the woman as well as the surrogate became mothers," said Dr Naina Patel from Anand, considered a surrogacy expert.
Lisa is among a growing breed of childless foreigners and NRIs who come to India and employ two surrogates to increase chances of finally having their own child. Lisa chose to come to Anand, often termed the global surrogacy capital. "I am in Anand since February, away from my business and family. I was desperate to become a parent and hence decided to undertake two cycles of treatment every month, apart using two surrogates. My son Rom came first followed by daughter Lee," Lisa, who has her own software firm, told TOI.
Such children are called twiblings since one sperm sample of the husband is split in two and used to make two different embryos. Technically, they would be twins if they were carried in a single womb but since they were carried in different wombs, they are siblings. Surrogacy professionals say twiblings are becoming commonplace as many childless couples do not mind spending more for implanting the embryos in two surrogates to maximize their chances.
In fact, twiblings are the outcome of the pace at which we live our lives these days. Many foreigners and NRIs desperately want a child, but they can't afford to stay back in India for long periods. It is not possible to totally abandon both their careers and their families. "I have used two surrogates each for three couple so far. In one case, the conception happened simultaneously while in another the woman as well as the surrogate became mothers," said Dr Naina Patel from Anand, considered a surrogacy expert.
Surrogate mothers face nightmares of surrogacy
India Today :
By Savita Verma/New Delhi
The poor surrogate mothers in Gujarat, who rent their wombs to augment the family income, have been confronted with the horrors of a pitiable payment and broken homes.
The Centre for Social Research, an NGO, revealed after talking to nearly 100 surrogate mothers and 50 commissioning parents in Anand, Surat and Jamnagar in Gujarat, that surrogacy has not gone down well with their husbands and children.
"We found some disturbing trends. For instance, though the husbands do not mind their wives to act as surrogate mothers, the spouse and her children distance themselves from her after she returns home following the birth of the baby," CSR director Dr Ranjana Kumari said.
In Anand, around 52 per cent of the surrogate mothers said they were abandoned by their husbands and that most of them had to fend for themselves and their children.
Around 14 per cent women in Surat and 20 per cent in Jamnagar said their relationship with their husbands soured. Many surrogate mothers - 100 per cent in Jamnagar, 83 per cent in Surat and 40 per cent in Anand - revealed that they lost contact with friends and members of the family after opting for surrogacy.
Surrogacy had a bearing on family equations. Close to 77 per cent women in Anand, 86 per cent in Surat and 100 per cent in Jamnagar said it affected the way their households were run.
For surrogate mothers, surrogacy has not gone down well with their husbands and children.Surrogate mothers said they suffered on account of the secrecy involved in the entire process. Around 82 per cent of them in Anand, 89 per cent in Surat and all in Jamnagar said the secrecy involved in the entire process of surrogacy made them vulnerable to suspicions.
To make matter worse, the amount of money given to the surrogate mothers was never fixed and was decided arbitrarily by the clinic or the doctor, the study found. These mothers were often left with just a pittance.
Of the Rs.12 to Rs.15 lakh for a surrogacy, the mothers get just about one or two per cent of the entire amount - that is not more than Rs.12,000 or Rs.15,000, the report said.
"Apart from being denied the promised amount, they are often paid in installments. Since most of them are illiterate, they lose count after a few installments," Kumari said.
In 97 per cent cases in Surat and 100 per cent in Jamnagar, most of the surrogate mothers were approached or targeted by agents or touts who make a killing through commissions.
It was also revealed that relationship between the surrogate mother and the commissioning parents remained harmonious in the beginning, but turned unpleasant towards the advanced stages of pregnancy because of hyperanticipation, monetary disagreements and other pretentious issues.
India has been a popular destination for surrogacy because of cheap medical facilities, advanced reproductive technological know-how and a hard-up population willing to make an extra buck to support their families.
The horrors were not restricted to poor payment. "It was found that surrogate mothers were made to undergo in-vitro fertilisation sessions 20-25 times for a successful impregnation. Current guidelines strictly prohibit this," Kumari said.
Apart from NRIs, couples from the US, Russia, the UK, Sweden, Israel and Australia come to India for the cheap surrogacy offered.
By Savita Verma/New Delhi
The poor surrogate mothers in Gujarat, who rent their wombs to augment the family income, have been confronted with the horrors of a pitiable payment and broken homes.
The Centre for Social Research, an NGO, revealed after talking to nearly 100 surrogate mothers and 50 commissioning parents in Anand, Surat and Jamnagar in Gujarat, that surrogacy has not gone down well with their husbands and children.
"We found some disturbing trends. For instance, though the husbands do not mind their wives to act as surrogate mothers, the spouse and her children distance themselves from her after she returns home following the birth of the baby," CSR director Dr Ranjana Kumari said.
In Anand, around 52 per cent of the surrogate mothers said they were abandoned by their husbands and that most of them had to fend for themselves and their children.
Around 14 per cent women in Surat and 20 per cent in Jamnagar said their relationship with their husbands soured. Many surrogate mothers - 100 per cent in Jamnagar, 83 per cent in Surat and 40 per cent in Anand - revealed that they lost contact with friends and members of the family after opting for surrogacy.
Surrogacy had a bearing on family equations. Close to 77 per cent women in Anand, 86 per cent in Surat and 100 per cent in Jamnagar said it affected the way their households were run.
For surrogate mothers, surrogacy has not gone down well with their husbands and children.Surrogate mothers said they suffered on account of the secrecy involved in the entire process. Around 82 per cent of them in Anand, 89 per cent in Surat and all in Jamnagar said the secrecy involved in the entire process of surrogacy made them vulnerable to suspicions.
To make matter worse, the amount of money given to the surrogate mothers was never fixed and was decided arbitrarily by the clinic or the doctor, the study found. These mothers were often left with just a pittance.
Of the Rs.12 to Rs.15 lakh for a surrogacy, the mothers get just about one or two per cent of the entire amount - that is not more than Rs.12,000 or Rs.15,000, the report said.
"Apart from being denied the promised amount, they are often paid in installments. Since most of them are illiterate, they lose count after a few installments," Kumari said.
In 97 per cent cases in Surat and 100 per cent in Jamnagar, most of the surrogate mothers were approached or targeted by agents or touts who make a killing through commissions.
It was also revealed that relationship between the surrogate mother and the commissioning parents remained harmonious in the beginning, but turned unpleasant towards the advanced stages of pregnancy because of hyperanticipation, monetary disagreements and other pretentious issues.
India has been a popular destination for surrogacy because of cheap medical facilities, advanced reproductive technological know-how and a hard-up population willing to make an extra buck to support their families.
The horrors were not restricted to poor payment. "It was found that surrogate mothers were made to undergo in-vitro fertilisation sessions 20-25 times for a successful impregnation. Current guidelines strictly prohibit this," Kumari said.
Apart from NRIs, couples from the US, Russia, the UK, Sweden, Israel and Australia come to India for the cheap surrogacy offered.
Noted Surrogacy Lawyer Theresa Erickson sentenced for her role in baby-selling scheme
Theresa Erickson, right, escorted by her husband and attorneys, arrives at Federal Court in San Diego for her sentencing Friday. The internationally renowned surrogacy lawyer got five months in prison and nine months of home confinement for her role in a baby-selling scheme.
A renowned California lawyer and a surrogate mom each got hit with jail time Friday for their roles in a black market operation that sold unborn fetuses to prospective parents for upwards of $100,000.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/noted-surrogacy-lawyer-theresa-erickson-sentenced-role-baby-selling-scheme-article-1.1028320?localLinksEnabled=false
Adoption racket: Illegal surrogacy angle probed
Kiran Sonawane, Hindustan Times
Mumbai : The police investigating the Ulhasnagar child-selling racket said they suspected that the main accused in the case, Vijaya Sonawane and Ratna Obale, were also running an illegal surrogacy racket.
Narendra Jadhav, inspector, Hill Line police station, said they were investigating all angles.
Jadhav said the police were the complainants in the case and had filed an offence against Sonawane, 47, Obale, 35, Pradhan Kanojia, 40, and Babli Kanojia, 35. All four were arrested on Thursday evening.
The Ulhasnagar court has, however, refused to accept the police plea and has granted bail to all four accused. The investigating officer in the case said the police had requested for seven days custody in order to investigate and dig out more details in the child-selling and surrogacy racket.
During her interrogation, Sonawane confessed that she had sold the Kanojias’ child for Rs2.30 lakh and that the amount was distributed three ways. Sonawane took Rs70,000, Obale Rs20,000 and the rest of the money, Rs1.40 lakh, was given to the Kanojias.
Sonawane also confessed that she had earlier sold five children in Nashik, Alibaug, Pune and Navi Mumbai. However, she could only recall the name of the Sindhi family from Nashik.
During investigations, the police found that the woman was also running an illegal surrogacy racket, where she used to supply girls and young women to hospitals or families who conceived children for childless couples.
Sonawane, an employee at the Shanti-Bhuvan orphanage for disabled children in Ulhasnagar, was part of a racket where needy and underprivileged women from Mumbai and Nashik-Pune areas were asked give birth to children, which were then sold to childless couples.
One such child was purchased by two tabloid newspapers reporters who posed as a childless couple, for Rs2.30 lakh rupees, without any legal procedures being followed.
Mumbai : The police investigating the Ulhasnagar child-selling racket said they suspected that the main accused in the case, Vijaya Sonawane and Ratna Obale, were also running an illegal surrogacy racket.
Narendra Jadhav, inspector, Hill Line police station, said they were investigating all angles.
Jadhav said the police were the complainants in the case and had filed an offence against Sonawane, 47, Obale, 35, Pradhan Kanojia, 40, and Babli Kanojia, 35. All four were arrested on Thursday evening.
The Ulhasnagar court has, however, refused to accept the police plea and has granted bail to all four accused. The investigating officer in the case said the police had requested for seven days custody in order to investigate and dig out more details in the child-selling and surrogacy racket.
During her interrogation, Sonawane confessed that she had sold the Kanojias’ child for Rs2.30 lakh and that the amount was distributed three ways. Sonawane took Rs70,000, Obale Rs20,000 and the rest of the money, Rs1.40 lakh, was given to the Kanojias.
Sonawane also confessed that she had earlier sold five children in Nashik, Alibaug, Pune and Navi Mumbai. However, she could only recall the name of the Sindhi family from Nashik.
During investigations, the police found that the woman was also running an illegal surrogacy racket, where she used to supply girls and young women to hospitals or families who conceived children for childless couples.
Sonawane, an employee at the Shanti-Bhuvan orphanage for disabled children in Ulhasnagar, was part of a racket where needy and underprivileged women from Mumbai and Nashik-Pune areas were asked give birth to children, which were then sold to childless couples.
One such child was purchased by two tabloid newspapers reporters who posed as a childless couple, for Rs2.30 lakh rupees, without any legal procedures being followed.
baby on sale in Mumbai, sting operation
In Mumbai, buy a baby boy in seven days for 2 lakhs
Mumbai: In an explosive sting operation that lasted for about a week, MiD DAY blows the lid off a thriving baby-selling racket in the city, in which infants are sold like commodities for Rs. 2-3 lakh.
Two MiD DAY reporters posed as a couple and approached the syndicate operating out of the innocuous, even respectable, setting of an orphanage for disabled kids in the far suburb of Ulhasnagar. At the end of the seven days, a six-day-old male child was sold to the undercover scribes for Rs. 2.30 lakh, with zero paperwork and no waiting time.
A resort for innumerable childless couples in this city desperate to enjoy the joys of parenthood without the hassle of the long-winded legal adoption process, the orphanage offers many options for the illegal transaction.
The easiest of these is pay the cash and take the child home within a week, bypassing the interminable waits (anywhere over 2 years) and the extensive documentation required to establish your credentials and financial status. All one needs do is produce an identity proof -- authenticity no bar -- and the alleged racketeers hand over the child along with the birth certificate with your name on it.
The babies are procured from marginalised couples, who perforce or willingly, sell their offspring for a few thousand rupees: the promise of square meals or some extra money is enough to induce the poor women into being exploited and making reproduction their trade. While they get a minimum amount, the few employees abetting the illicit trade pocket a major share of the rewards.
The kingpin of the racket has been supplying newborns to builders, businessmen and other affluent people across the state, deprived of natural parenthood.
Other than the straightforward purchase, the alleged offenders offer the alternative of surrogacy at the price of Rs. 10 lakh. The surrogacy option included choosing to establish sexual contact with a woman who would then bear the child in her womb, rather than the more traditional IVF (in-vitro fertilisation). For this, the rate card is contingent on the financial standing of the customer, and the demands of the surrogate mother. She may ask that her accommodation and medical expenses be borne till the time she delivers, other than her fee of a couple of lakhs.
After confirming the presence of the syndicate, we decided to 'buy' a child to establish the existence of this child trafficking.
The following is an in-depth account of the sting -- as narrated by MiD DAY reporters Bhupen Patel and Shubha Shetty-Saha -- starting from February 13, when they found out where the racket is taking place, and concluding seven days later with the sale of a baby.
Day 1: Monday
After a tip-off that some orphanages in Ulhasnagar are involved in selling newborns, we began approaching them incognito. After visiting a few ashrams, we confirmed that one Vijaya Sonawne, who cooks food for the orphans in the ashrams, is the woman who runs the syndicate.
Day 2: Tuesday
After running a background check, we approached her as a couple from Nashik. Since she belongs to the same place, we presumed it might help our cause.
We managed to win her confidence on the very first meeting, and she agreed to give us a newborn male child for Rs. 3 lakh (which was finally renegotiated to Rs. 2.3 lakh). She asked us to come the day after to see the baby.
Day 3: Wednesday
We met Sonawne outside Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar Sector-3. She told us that another woman (probably an agent) who works in a surrogacy clinic in Mulund, would take us to the baby, who was in a slum in Ulhasnagar with his family.
On our way there, Sonawne cautioned us not to speak to anyone about the money except her. She said she knew the 'right people' in the court so she could get the paperwork in order in just a day. She even volunteered to be the guarantor.
Bhupen: Maa baap ke samne kuch nahi bolne ka?
Sonawne: Maa baap to hoyenge naa samne.
Bhupen: Lekin woh log ko kuch nahi bolneka?
Sonawne: Nahi, kuch nahi bolneka. Abhi vakil se hi baat ki humne.
Bhupen: Kya bola vakil?
Sonawne: Woh karke dega.
Bhupen: Lekin woh bol raha hai naa ek din mein ho jayega.
Sonawne: Haan haan, ek din mein.
Bhupen: Toh hum logo ko kya kya lana padega?
Sonawne: Sirf address proof chahiye.
Bhupen: Matlab ID-card mein address proof?
Sonawne: Kuch bhi chalega.
(We tried to negotiate the price with Sonawne, who warned us that if we tried haggling, the child would be sold to someone else. )
Bhupen: Lekin tum usko bolo thoda kum karneko.
Sonawne: Main tumko bola naa. Yeh roj roj nahi milta hai. Saamne wala bhi to apna khudka baccha de raha hai. Nashik se bhi log leke gaye hain. Bade bade business hain. Paanch hazar rupaye woh log ne pyaar se mujhe diya tha.
Bhupen: Kitna kum ho sakta hai lekin. Hum log thoda financial crisis mein hai.
Sonawne: Abhi tumko kya bola. Raat ko isliye maine usko 11.00 baje phone kiya. Woh bolti hai ki saamne wale ka ekdum final hai. (Referring to another case) Maine kiya hai ye. Ek kiya hai. Teen mahina hua yeh baat ke liye. Phir mereko maloom hai woh logo (the child's parents) ka aadat. Phir woh bolte hai jaane do hum logo ke paas koi doosra ayega. Lekin apne ko jarurat hai naa.
Sonawne: Jinhone liya tha na pehli baar, unhone doodh ki bottle tak rakha tha Nashik mein. Lekin uski mummy bolti ki mereko bachcha deneka nahi. Nahi boli. Unko paisa diya tha Rs. 20,000. Sab ho gaya tha. Pandit se pooja-path sab kiya tha. Magistrate ke saamne bola mereko nahi dena hai.
Shubha: Arrey baap re.
Sonawne: Main unko bola jo naseeb mein hai, woh tumko milega. Phir hum log Nashik se wapas ghar aaye Ulhasnagar mein. Woh bole ke madam humko tumhare pe vishwas hai, aisehi chhod ke gaye paisa mere paas. Teen lakh rupaya. Aisa teen mahina mere paas paisa pada tha. Tabhi mereko phir yeh (infant) Ghatkopar se mila. Phir unko diya na to itni khushi ho gayi. Maine usko do din apne paas rakha, nihlaya. Usko upar ka doodh diya. Usko aadat lagaya. Do din tak usko aang ka doodh (breast milk) pilaya. Teesre din bottle ka diya. Ekdum mast raha mere paas. Phir do mahine ke baad mere paas aaye maine unko dattak patra banake diya. Woh dattak patra bhi hai unke paas.
Bhupen: Accha kal nahi ho sakta kya? (Asking about the paperwork)
Sonawne: Kal woh nahi ho payega.
Shubha: Registration?
Sonawne: Haan.
Shubha: Inko bahut jaldi hai.
Bhupen: Accha abhi maa baap se kya baat karneka.
Sonawne: Kuch bhi nahi. Saamne wali bhi aayegi na to kuch baat nahi karneka. Sab baat karneka. Mere se karneka. Pehle baccha dekho phir medical report dekhneka. Main bhi aisa phasane ka kaam nahi karti hai.
Bhupen: Yeh area mein, Thane mein, kahi diya hai kya baccha aapne.
Sonawne: Nashik mein diya chaar paanch baccha.
Bhupen: Aur Alibaug mein?
Sonawne: Woh Kalyan mein rehte hai. Lekin procedure karne ke liye woh Alibaug mein gaye. Bhagwan bhi dekho na jidhar deneka kitna deta hai. Aur apne ko ho nahi raha hai.
Shubha: Yeh jo madam (Ratna) aa rahee hai, yeh aapke bharose wali hai na?
Sonawne: Unse hi maine saamne wale ko diya hai. Uska ghar var sab kucch mereko maloom hai. Vitthalwadi mein uska ghar hai.
Bhupen: Lekin yeh Mulund se aa rahi hai na abhi.
Sonawne: Mulund mein baby tube karne ke liye hospital mein ladki leke jaati hai yeh. Unka woh hospital hai, bahut bada hai, aapne paper mein bhi pada hoga.
Shubha: Aapke pati kya karte hai?
Sonawne: Mera pati Nashik mein hai, bada dukaan hai humara. Flat hai mera, chaar room hai. Government ka bhi mereko one room mila hai.
Shubha: Idhar kaun rehta hai?
Sonawne: Idhar main aur meri mummy rehti hai. Mera transfer idhar ho gaya na isi liye.
Bhupen: Woh jo stamp paper banate hai uspe kya likha rehta hai?
Sonawne: Woh jo maa baap hai, woh likh ke dete hain, 'hum humari marzee se bacchha de rehe hain'.
Bhupen: Kitne rupiya ka stamp paper?
Sonawne: Woh 100 rupiye stamp paper pe.
Shubha: Baad mein kuch problem nahi hoga na?
Sonawne: Nahi nahi. Yeh jo dattak patra hai na, tumko school mein ayega, ration card mein uska naam dalne ayega.
Shubha: Matlab birth certificate jaisa hai.
Sonawne: Haan Haan, matlab woh (birth certificate) bhi un log ke naam se ayega na. Woh bhi tumhare naam se banake degi. Matlab woh jo card hai naa, uske upar tumhara naam dalke. Uske upar kuch nahi rehta hai. Bas mummy ka naam hota hai; aur ladka hai ya ladki, yeh hota hai. Mahanagarpalika (municipal corporation) mein meri saheli hai. Woh karke degi.
Shubha: Uska kuch extra paisa hoga kya?
Sonawne: Nahi nahi. 100-200 rupiye ki baat hai. Aise hi karke degi. Woh chhodo. Mere taraf se paise ka tension mat karo. Aise zindagi mein bahut paisa dekha hai aur bahut kamaya hai.
In the second half of the day, we were introduced to the woman, Ratna Ubale from Mulund. She took us to a slum where the mother of the child was introduced to us. She lived in a big family, with her husband, two kids, sister, brother and others. She was apparently selling the kid because she did not want it. Ratna was heard boasting about how she dissuaded the mother from aborting the child, so she could make some money after the birth.
Shubha: (after looking at the child): So cute
Sonawne: (comments on the baby's nose): Yacha naak bagitla ka, majya poori sarkha hai.
Bhupen: Iska wazan kitna hai.
Sonawne: Dhai kilo.
Ratna: Ata sukla tari nahi tar janamla tevha mast hota (The baby has become thin now but he was healthier when at the time of the birth).
Sonawne: Mast zoplay na (How restfully it is sleeping).
Shubha: Haan.
Sonawne: Baal bill mast hai naa.
Shubha: Haan.
(We then proceeded to pose for pictures with the baby)
Ratna (explaining why the woman doesn't want to keep the child): ek ladka aur ek ladki hai usko.
Bhupen: Bahut achha, pyara bachha hai.
For the sake of appearances, we handed over Rs. 101 to the baby's mother for good omen, and got out of the house. We waited outside the door to listen in on their conversation. Ratna and the baby's aunt were trying to persuade the mother to give it away. Since she was planning to abort the child anyway, she should give it away and help herself to some extra cash, they argued to coax her into their plan.
Once outside, Sonawne warned us again not to discuss the deal in front of Ratna.
Day 4: Thursday
Following telephonic negotiations with Sonawne, she agreed to give the child for Rs. 2.20 lakh. Since it was the day of the BMC election, the courts were shut, and the woman asked us to come the day after to get the paperwork sorted.
Day 5: Friday
We visited Sonawne to hand over the first instalment of Rs. 60,000. She asked us not to come the next day for the remainder. "It's a Saturday, not an auspicious day to take the child home," she explained. She asked us to give the remainder at the earliest, and take the baby and get the documents fixed later.
Bhupen: Mausi, do me bitha do na (negotiating to bring the amount to Rs. 2 lakh).
Sonawne: Nahi do mein nahi, who log bolte hai un logo ke paas doosri party hai.
Bhupen: Baki ka paisa de diya to turant bachcha de denge?
Sonawne: Yeh hath mein paisa, yeh haath mein bachcha. (Talking about Ratna) Uss din phone pe didi (Shubha) ne sab suna. Woh boli kaisi ajab aurat hai. Usko boli medical report sab poora kaam karke deneka. Mummy ka bhi report aur uska bhi report. Woh bol rahi thi kal hi paper banao. Maine to kal hi stamp paper lekar rakh liya tha. Vakil bola mein notary karke de deta hu. Tumko boli na main ek din mein karke degi. Vakil to apna aadmi hai. Usko main fees ek mahine baad degi. Itna to vishwas hain na vakil ka.
Bhupen: Aur kuch thoda bahut kum to karega na.
Sonawne: Main tumko kya bola, 30,000 main khud dungi tumko apne taraf se. Mereko tum 6 mahine mein do, itna vishwas hai mereko. Main government servant hoon, aisi vaisi raste wali aurat thodi hi hoon. Nashik mein tum mera flat dekho, ghar dekho. Tumko yakin nahi aayega. Tumko do bees (Rs. 2,20,000) lana hoga poora.
Bhupen: 60,000 diya na... toh aur mereko aapko dena hai 1,60,000.
Sonawne: Haan.
Bhupen: Matlab abhi maine aapko yeh paisa diya, aap kisi aur ko bachcha nahi dikhaogi.
Day 6: Saturday
We were told to bring the cash and take the baby on Sunday.
Day 7: Sunday
As per Sonawne's instructions, we went to Ulhasnagar with the remaining amount of Rs. 1.6 lakh. There, Sonawne took the money and said, "Get your identity proofs on Tuesday and I will see to it that your paperwork is done." After a wait of about four hours, the child was handed over to us with his medical reports, along with a casual remark that we should take care of it. Sonawne asked for another Rs. 10,000 which we paid her, bringing the sum total to Rs. 2.3 lakh.
Following that, we approached a government organisation, Childline, whose officials approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which then helped admit the baby in Vishwa Balak Kendra orphanage in Nerul. This was accomplished with the help of social worker Sharad Barse, who works with Aasra Childline in Kalyan. We gave a copy of the videos recorded during the course of the sting to Barse. The evidence will be submitted to the CWC.
Surrogacy through intercourse
During our interaction with Sonawne, we stumbled upon a sordid case of how a woman conceived for a rich businessman.
According to Sonawne, a builder from Alibaug, who desperately wanted a son, approached her. His wife had given birth to two sets of twin girls. Since she had to undergo C-sections both the times, he didn't want to risk her health again. The builder was reluctant on adoption as well as IVF-surrogacy. So Sonawne suggested that she could get a woman to stay with him and bear him a child through natural intercourse, she said. She arranged a woman from Nashik, she claimed. The intercourse happened with the wife's knowledge and consent.
The builder bought the lady a flat to stay for a while, and impregnated her. At a sonography centre near Shirdi, which Sonawne claimed is yet another of her contacts, it was discovered that the sex of the foetus was male.
According to Sonawne, the woman is six months into pregnancy today and is being looked after by the builder's wife.
'Exploiting surrogates'
During our first meet with Ratna Ubale, one of the alleged abettors of the child trafficking syndicate, she dropped a hint that we should also opt for a surrogate child, and went on to elaborate the procedure followed by her clinic.
Ratna said that she has been working in a clinic at Mulund, which helps couples keen on surrogacy. She explained that if we opt for it, we would have to pay the mother Rs. 2.45 lakh, and bear her medical expenses. The total expenditure would be up to Rs. 10 lakh.
However, according to Sonawne -- the key person of the syndicate -- Ratna who has been helping her clinic to get surrogate mothers from the outskirts of Mumbai -- takes away a major portion of the fee meant for them. Sonawne revealed that she had housed one such surrogate mother who had been brought to her by Ratna.
Sonawne added that Ratna gets a commission of Rs. 20,000 for every surrogate she brings. Apart from that, she takes Rs. 2,000 from the Rs. 8,000 paid to surrogate mothers every month by the couple. Further, after the child is delivered, Ratna takes Rs. 50,000 from the total of Rs. 2.5 lakh paid to the mother.
.....................................................................................
Adopting a baby legally
Legally adopting a child is a long-drawn-out process, where at every step the eligibility of the couple wishing to adopt a child is tested. It requires many documents:
1 Residence proof
2 Bank account statements
3 Photographs of the couple
4 Medical certificates, tests, which include HIV tests
5 Salary slips
6 Three letters of guarantee from friends, but not family, of the couple
7 Two Doctors' certificates: one from a family doctor, another from a gynaecologist
8 One letter from a guardian, who promises to take care of the child, if it is a working couple
9 A letter from a family member promising to take care of the child if the parents pass away before the child turns 18.
The process
First, the couple is asked whether they would prefer to adopt a boy or a girl. Then, they are asked to submit the above documents.
A social worker visits the couple's house, and interviews them to gauge the authenticity of their claims and to know if they will be good parents. After the social worker's nod, the couple is allotted a child according to the availability.
The age of the child depends on the age of the parents. It is the sole discretion of the charity organisation as to which child to be allotted. If the couple doesn't like the child, they have to provide ample reason why they are saying no. The organisation ensures that the child has gone through all medical tests. The couple is asked to get the child tested by their own doctor for further assurance. Then the legal process starts. It takes at least three months for the couple to take the child home.
Monetary considerations
Some organisations do not accept any money but ask for a mandatory deposit of about Rs. 20,000-50,000 in the child's name. Some organisations ask the aspiring parents to pay a nominal amount of Rs. 50 per day of the period that the child was with the orphanage, plus medical expenses, if any, borne by the orphanage during the child's stay there.
Mumbai: In an explosive sting operation that lasted for about a week, MiD DAY blows the lid off a thriving baby-selling racket in the city, in which infants are sold like commodities for Rs. 2-3 lakh.
Two MiD DAY reporters posed as a couple and approached the syndicate operating out of the innocuous, even respectable, setting of an orphanage for disabled kids in the far suburb of Ulhasnagar. At the end of the seven days, a six-day-old male child was sold to the undercover scribes for Rs. 2.30 lakh, with zero paperwork and no waiting time.
A resort for innumerable childless couples in this city desperate to enjoy the joys of parenthood without the hassle of the long-winded legal adoption process, the orphanage offers many options for the illegal transaction.
The easiest of these is pay the cash and take the child home within a week, bypassing the interminable waits (anywhere over 2 years) and the extensive documentation required to establish your credentials and financial status. All one needs do is produce an identity proof -- authenticity no bar -- and the alleged racketeers hand over the child along with the birth certificate with your name on it.
The babies are procured from marginalised couples, who perforce or willingly, sell their offspring for a few thousand rupees: the promise of square meals or some extra money is enough to induce the poor women into being exploited and making reproduction their trade. While they get a minimum amount, the few employees abetting the illicit trade pocket a major share of the rewards.
The kingpin of the racket has been supplying newborns to builders, businessmen and other affluent people across the state, deprived of natural parenthood.
Other than the straightforward purchase, the alleged offenders offer the alternative of surrogacy at the price of Rs. 10 lakh. The surrogacy option included choosing to establish sexual contact with a woman who would then bear the child in her womb, rather than the more traditional IVF (in-vitro fertilisation). For this, the rate card is contingent on the financial standing of the customer, and the demands of the surrogate mother. She may ask that her accommodation and medical expenses be borne till the time she delivers, other than her fee of a couple of lakhs.
After confirming the presence of the syndicate, we decided to 'buy' a child to establish the existence of this child trafficking.
The following is an in-depth account of the sting -- as narrated by MiD DAY reporters Bhupen Patel and Shubha Shetty-Saha -- starting from February 13, when they found out where the racket is taking place, and concluding seven days later with the sale of a baby.
Day 1: Monday
After a tip-off that some orphanages in Ulhasnagar are involved in selling newborns, we began approaching them incognito. After visiting a few ashrams, we confirmed that one Vijaya Sonawne, who cooks food for the orphans in the ashrams, is the woman who runs the syndicate.
Day 2: Tuesday
After running a background check, we approached her as a couple from Nashik. Since she belongs to the same place, we presumed it might help our cause.
We managed to win her confidence on the very first meeting, and she agreed to give us a newborn male child for Rs. 3 lakh (which was finally renegotiated to Rs. 2.3 lakh). She asked us to come the day after to see the baby.
Day 3: Wednesday
We met Sonawne outside Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar Sector-3. She told us that another woman (probably an agent) who works in a surrogacy clinic in Mulund, would take us to the baby, who was in a slum in Ulhasnagar with his family.
On our way there, Sonawne cautioned us not to speak to anyone about the money except her. She said she knew the 'right people' in the court so she could get the paperwork in order in just a day. She even volunteered to be the guarantor.
Bhupen: Maa baap ke samne kuch nahi bolne ka?
Sonawne: Maa baap to hoyenge naa samne.
Bhupen: Lekin woh log ko kuch nahi bolneka?
Sonawne: Nahi, kuch nahi bolneka. Abhi vakil se hi baat ki humne.
Bhupen: Kya bola vakil?
Sonawne: Woh karke dega.
Bhupen: Lekin woh bol raha hai naa ek din mein ho jayega.
Sonawne: Haan haan, ek din mein.
Bhupen: Toh hum logo ko kya kya lana padega?
Sonawne: Sirf address proof chahiye.
Bhupen: Matlab ID-card mein address proof?
Sonawne: Kuch bhi chalega.
(We tried to negotiate the price with Sonawne, who warned us that if we tried haggling, the child would be sold to someone else. )
Bhupen: Lekin tum usko bolo thoda kum karneko.
Sonawne: Main tumko bola naa. Yeh roj roj nahi milta hai. Saamne wala bhi to apna khudka baccha de raha hai. Nashik se bhi log leke gaye hain. Bade bade business hain. Paanch hazar rupaye woh log ne pyaar se mujhe diya tha.
Bhupen: Kitna kum ho sakta hai lekin. Hum log thoda financial crisis mein hai.
Sonawne: Abhi tumko kya bola. Raat ko isliye maine usko 11.00 baje phone kiya. Woh bolti hai ki saamne wale ka ekdum final hai. (Referring to another case) Maine kiya hai ye. Ek kiya hai. Teen mahina hua yeh baat ke liye. Phir mereko maloom hai woh logo (the child's parents) ka aadat. Phir woh bolte hai jaane do hum logo ke paas koi doosra ayega. Lekin apne ko jarurat hai naa.
Sonawne: Jinhone liya tha na pehli baar, unhone doodh ki bottle tak rakha tha Nashik mein. Lekin uski mummy bolti ki mereko bachcha deneka nahi. Nahi boli. Unko paisa diya tha Rs. 20,000. Sab ho gaya tha. Pandit se pooja-path sab kiya tha. Magistrate ke saamne bola mereko nahi dena hai.
Shubha: Arrey baap re.
Sonawne: Main unko bola jo naseeb mein hai, woh tumko milega. Phir hum log Nashik se wapas ghar aaye Ulhasnagar mein. Woh bole ke madam humko tumhare pe vishwas hai, aisehi chhod ke gaye paisa mere paas. Teen lakh rupaya. Aisa teen mahina mere paas paisa pada tha. Tabhi mereko phir yeh (infant) Ghatkopar se mila. Phir unko diya na to itni khushi ho gayi. Maine usko do din apne paas rakha, nihlaya. Usko upar ka doodh diya. Usko aadat lagaya. Do din tak usko aang ka doodh (breast milk) pilaya. Teesre din bottle ka diya. Ekdum mast raha mere paas. Phir do mahine ke baad mere paas aaye maine unko dattak patra banake diya. Woh dattak patra bhi hai unke paas.
Bhupen: Accha kal nahi ho sakta kya? (Asking about the paperwork)
Sonawne: Kal woh nahi ho payega.
Shubha: Registration?
Sonawne: Haan.
Shubha: Inko bahut jaldi hai.
Bhupen: Accha abhi maa baap se kya baat karneka.
Sonawne: Kuch bhi nahi. Saamne wali bhi aayegi na to kuch baat nahi karneka. Sab baat karneka. Mere se karneka. Pehle baccha dekho phir medical report dekhneka. Main bhi aisa phasane ka kaam nahi karti hai.
Bhupen: Yeh area mein, Thane mein, kahi diya hai kya baccha aapne.
Sonawne: Nashik mein diya chaar paanch baccha.
Bhupen: Aur Alibaug mein?
Sonawne: Woh Kalyan mein rehte hai. Lekin procedure karne ke liye woh Alibaug mein gaye. Bhagwan bhi dekho na jidhar deneka kitna deta hai. Aur apne ko ho nahi raha hai.
Shubha: Yeh jo madam (Ratna) aa rahee hai, yeh aapke bharose wali hai na?
Sonawne: Unse hi maine saamne wale ko diya hai. Uska ghar var sab kucch mereko maloom hai. Vitthalwadi mein uska ghar hai.
Bhupen: Lekin yeh Mulund se aa rahi hai na abhi.
Sonawne: Mulund mein baby tube karne ke liye hospital mein ladki leke jaati hai yeh. Unka woh hospital hai, bahut bada hai, aapne paper mein bhi pada hoga.
Shubha: Aapke pati kya karte hai?
Sonawne: Mera pati Nashik mein hai, bada dukaan hai humara. Flat hai mera, chaar room hai. Government ka bhi mereko one room mila hai.
Shubha: Idhar kaun rehta hai?
Sonawne: Idhar main aur meri mummy rehti hai. Mera transfer idhar ho gaya na isi liye.
Bhupen: Woh jo stamp paper banate hai uspe kya likha rehta hai?
Sonawne: Woh jo maa baap hai, woh likh ke dete hain, 'hum humari marzee se bacchha de rehe hain'.
Bhupen: Kitne rupiya ka stamp paper?
Sonawne: Woh 100 rupiye stamp paper pe.
Shubha: Baad mein kuch problem nahi hoga na?
Sonawne: Nahi nahi. Yeh jo dattak patra hai na, tumko school mein ayega, ration card mein uska naam dalne ayega.
Shubha: Matlab birth certificate jaisa hai.
Sonawne: Haan Haan, matlab woh (birth certificate) bhi un log ke naam se ayega na. Woh bhi tumhare naam se banake degi. Matlab woh jo card hai naa, uske upar tumhara naam dalke. Uske upar kuch nahi rehta hai. Bas mummy ka naam hota hai; aur ladka hai ya ladki, yeh hota hai. Mahanagarpalika (municipal corporation) mein meri saheli hai. Woh karke degi.
Shubha: Uska kuch extra paisa hoga kya?
Sonawne: Nahi nahi. 100-200 rupiye ki baat hai. Aise hi karke degi. Woh chhodo. Mere taraf se paise ka tension mat karo. Aise zindagi mein bahut paisa dekha hai aur bahut kamaya hai.
In the second half of the day, we were introduced to the woman, Ratna Ubale from Mulund. She took us to a slum where the mother of the child was introduced to us. She lived in a big family, with her husband, two kids, sister, brother and others. She was apparently selling the kid because she did not want it. Ratna was heard boasting about how she dissuaded the mother from aborting the child, so she could make some money after the birth.
Shubha: (after looking at the child): So cute
Sonawne: (comments on the baby's nose): Yacha naak bagitla ka, majya poori sarkha hai.
Bhupen: Iska wazan kitna hai.
Sonawne: Dhai kilo.
Ratna: Ata sukla tari nahi tar janamla tevha mast hota (The baby has become thin now but he was healthier when at the time of the birth).
Sonawne: Mast zoplay na (How restfully it is sleeping).
Shubha: Haan.
Sonawne: Baal bill mast hai naa.
Shubha: Haan.
(We then proceeded to pose for pictures with the baby)
Ratna (explaining why the woman doesn't want to keep the child): ek ladka aur ek ladki hai usko.
Bhupen: Bahut achha, pyara bachha hai.
For the sake of appearances, we handed over Rs. 101 to the baby's mother for good omen, and got out of the house. We waited outside the door to listen in on their conversation. Ratna and the baby's aunt were trying to persuade the mother to give it away. Since she was planning to abort the child anyway, she should give it away and help herself to some extra cash, they argued to coax her into their plan.
Once outside, Sonawne warned us again not to discuss the deal in front of Ratna.
Day 4: Thursday
Following telephonic negotiations with Sonawne, she agreed to give the child for Rs. 2.20 lakh. Since it was the day of the BMC election, the courts were shut, and the woman asked us to come the day after to get the paperwork sorted.
Day 5: Friday
We visited Sonawne to hand over the first instalment of Rs. 60,000. She asked us not to come the next day for the remainder. "It's a Saturday, not an auspicious day to take the child home," she explained. She asked us to give the remainder at the earliest, and take the baby and get the documents fixed later.
Bhupen: Mausi, do me bitha do na (negotiating to bring the amount to Rs. 2 lakh).
Sonawne: Nahi do mein nahi, who log bolte hai un logo ke paas doosri party hai.
Bhupen: Baki ka paisa de diya to turant bachcha de denge?
Sonawne: Yeh hath mein paisa, yeh haath mein bachcha. (Talking about Ratna) Uss din phone pe didi (Shubha) ne sab suna. Woh boli kaisi ajab aurat hai. Usko boli medical report sab poora kaam karke deneka. Mummy ka bhi report aur uska bhi report. Woh bol rahi thi kal hi paper banao. Maine to kal hi stamp paper lekar rakh liya tha. Vakil bola mein notary karke de deta hu. Tumko boli na main ek din mein karke degi. Vakil to apna aadmi hai. Usko main fees ek mahine baad degi. Itna to vishwas hain na vakil ka.
Bhupen: Aur kuch thoda bahut kum to karega na.
Sonawne: Main tumko kya bola, 30,000 main khud dungi tumko apne taraf se. Mereko tum 6 mahine mein do, itna vishwas hai mereko. Main government servant hoon, aisi vaisi raste wali aurat thodi hi hoon. Nashik mein tum mera flat dekho, ghar dekho. Tumko yakin nahi aayega. Tumko do bees (Rs. 2,20,000) lana hoga poora.
Bhupen: 60,000 diya na... toh aur mereko aapko dena hai 1,60,000.
Sonawne: Haan.
Bhupen: Matlab abhi maine aapko yeh paisa diya, aap kisi aur ko bachcha nahi dikhaogi.
Day 6: Saturday
We were told to bring the cash and take the baby on Sunday.
Day 7: Sunday
As per Sonawne's instructions, we went to Ulhasnagar with the remaining amount of Rs. 1.6 lakh. There, Sonawne took the money and said, "Get your identity proofs on Tuesday and I will see to it that your paperwork is done." After a wait of about four hours, the child was handed over to us with his medical reports, along with a casual remark that we should take care of it. Sonawne asked for another Rs. 10,000 which we paid her, bringing the sum total to Rs. 2.3 lakh.
Following that, we approached a government organisation, Childline, whose officials approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which then helped admit the baby in Vishwa Balak Kendra orphanage in Nerul. This was accomplished with the help of social worker Sharad Barse, who works with Aasra Childline in Kalyan. We gave a copy of the videos recorded during the course of the sting to Barse. The evidence will be submitted to the CWC.
Surrogacy through intercourse
During our interaction with Sonawne, we stumbled upon a sordid case of how a woman conceived for a rich businessman.
According to Sonawne, a builder from Alibaug, who desperately wanted a son, approached her. His wife had given birth to two sets of twin girls. Since she had to undergo C-sections both the times, he didn't want to risk her health again. The builder was reluctant on adoption as well as IVF-surrogacy. So Sonawne suggested that she could get a woman to stay with him and bear him a child through natural intercourse, she said. She arranged a woman from Nashik, she claimed. The intercourse happened with the wife's knowledge and consent.
The builder bought the lady a flat to stay for a while, and impregnated her. At a sonography centre near Shirdi, which Sonawne claimed is yet another of her contacts, it was discovered that the sex of the foetus was male.
According to Sonawne, the woman is six months into pregnancy today and is being looked after by the builder's wife.
'Exploiting surrogates'
During our first meet with Ratna Ubale, one of the alleged abettors of the child trafficking syndicate, she dropped a hint that we should also opt for a surrogate child, and went on to elaborate the procedure followed by her clinic.
Ratna said that she has been working in a clinic at Mulund, which helps couples keen on surrogacy. She explained that if we opt for it, we would have to pay the mother Rs. 2.45 lakh, and bear her medical expenses. The total expenditure would be up to Rs. 10 lakh.
However, according to Sonawne -- the key person of the syndicate -- Ratna who has been helping her clinic to get surrogate mothers from the outskirts of Mumbai -- takes away a major portion of the fee meant for them. Sonawne revealed that she had housed one such surrogate mother who had been brought to her by Ratna.
Sonawne added that Ratna gets a commission of Rs. 20,000 for every surrogate she brings. Apart from that, she takes Rs. 2,000 from the Rs. 8,000 paid to surrogate mothers every month by the couple. Further, after the child is delivered, Ratna takes Rs. 50,000 from the total of Rs. 2.5 lakh paid to the mother.
.....................................................................................
Adopting a baby legally
Legally adopting a child is a long-drawn-out process, where at every step the eligibility of the couple wishing to adopt a child is tested. It requires many documents:
1 Residence proof
2 Bank account statements
3 Photographs of the couple
4 Medical certificates, tests, which include HIV tests
5 Salary slips
6 Three letters of guarantee from friends, but not family, of the couple
7 Two Doctors' certificates: one from a family doctor, another from a gynaecologist
8 One letter from a guardian, who promises to take care of the child, if it is a working couple
9 A letter from a family member promising to take care of the child if the parents pass away before the child turns 18.
The process
First, the couple is asked whether they would prefer to adopt a boy or a girl. Then, they are asked to submit the above documents.
A social worker visits the couple's house, and interviews them to gauge the authenticity of their claims and to know if they will be good parents. After the social worker's nod, the couple is allotted a child according to the availability.
The age of the child depends on the age of the parents. It is the sole discretion of the charity organisation as to which child to be allotted. If the couple doesn't like the child, they have to provide ample reason why they are saying no. The organisation ensures that the child has gone through all medical tests. The couple is asked to get the child tested by their own doctor for further assurance. Then the legal process starts. It takes at least three months for the couple to take the child home.
Monetary considerations
Some organisations do not accept any money but ask for a mandatory deposit of about Rs. 20,000-50,000 in the child's name. Some organisations ask the aspiring parents to pay a nominal amount of Rs. 50 per day of the period that the child was with the orphanage, plus medical expenses, if any, borne by the orphanage during the child's stay there.
Womb outsourcing: The West turns to India for babies
RT News Service (Russia) :
Economic and legal issues are pushing hundreds of western couples to look overseas when considering surrogate motherhood, and India has become the number one most affordable surrogacy destination.
Surrogacy has become the latest trend in the well-established outsourcing relationship between the West and India.
India’s doctors say the demand for surrogate services is rapidly growing, with the majority of interest coming from overseas.
One reason is that Indian surrogacy costs roughly one quarter the price of similar services in Western countries.
RT spoke to Eric and Susan Freudenthal, a couple from Texas, who came to India to meet their new baby.
“Around 10 years ago we decided we would try to have a child and, it didn't happen naturally… We had pretty much given up hope and we spent a bunch of money. That’s when we realized that Indian surrogacy was something that was reasonable,” Eric says.
The average cost of surrogacy in India is 25,000 dollars, and the surrogate mother gets between six and eight thousand out of that sum. For many surrogate mothers, this amount is equal to 10 years' worth of wages.
However, there is a strong ethical issue here, as many see the low Indian costs as facilitating the exploitation of women who are vulnerable due to their poor economic situation and difficult living circumstances.
“Because women are poor and available, because they have the challenge to survive and just for survival they have to sell their womb – and here are people who are exploiting it,” Indian doctor Ranjana Kumari told RT.
But for Eric and Susan, the issue is not so black and white. They are leaving India with their new baby boy Peter, the child they waited for for years.
.........................
Dr. Nayna Patel (C), a pioneer of reproductive surrogacy in India, holds 10-day old Josh, who was born to an Indian surrogate mother. (AFP Photo / Sam Panthaky)
Economic and legal issues are pushing hundreds of western couples to look overseas when considering surrogate motherhood, and India has become the number one most affordable surrogacy destination.
Surrogacy has become the latest trend in the well-established outsourcing relationship between the West and India.
India’s doctors say the demand for surrogate services is rapidly growing, with the majority of interest coming from overseas.
One reason is that Indian surrogacy costs roughly one quarter the price of similar services in Western countries.
RT spoke to Eric and Susan Freudenthal, a couple from Texas, who came to India to meet their new baby.
“Around 10 years ago we decided we would try to have a child and, it didn't happen naturally… We had pretty much given up hope and we spent a bunch of money. That’s when we realized that Indian surrogacy was something that was reasonable,” Eric says.
The average cost of surrogacy in India is 25,000 dollars, and the surrogate mother gets between six and eight thousand out of that sum. For many surrogate mothers, this amount is equal to 10 years' worth of wages.
However, there is a strong ethical issue here, as many see the low Indian costs as facilitating the exploitation of women who are vulnerable due to their poor economic situation and difficult living circumstances.
“Because women are poor and available, because they have the challenge to survive and just for survival they have to sell their womb – and here are people who are exploiting it,” Indian doctor Ranjana Kumari told RT.
But for Eric and Susan, the issue is not so black and white. They are leaving India with their new baby boy Peter, the child they waited for for years.
.........................
Dr. Nayna Patel (C), a pioneer of reproductive surrogacy in India, holds 10-day old Josh, who was born to an Indian surrogate mother. (AFP Photo / Sam Panthaky)
'सरोगेट मदर' आणि 'टेस्ट ट्यूब बेबी' हे प्रकार नैसर्गिक आहेत का? : सर्वोच्च न्यायालय
नवी दिल्ली: समलैंगिक संबंधांना मान्यता देणाऱ्या दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालयाप्रमाणेच सर्वोच्च न्यायालयानेही समलैंगिक संबंध अनैसर्गिक कसे असा सवाल करत, न्यायमूर्ती जी. एस. सिंघवी आणि एस. जे. मुखोपाध्याय यांच्या खंडपीठाने 'सरोगेट मदर' आणि 'टेस्ट ट्यूब बेबी' हे प्रकार तरी नैसर्गिक आहेत काय, अशी विचारणा केली आहे.
तसेच सर्वोच्च न्यायालयाने समलैंगिकता म्हणजे काय, ते निसर्गाच्या विरोधात आहे, हे कोणत्या तज्ज्ञांनी स्पष्ट करून सांगायचे अशी विचारणा ही केली आहे. सर्वोच्च न्यायालयात समलैंगिक संबंधांना विरोध करणाऱ्या आयोगाची बाजू ज्येष्ठ वकील अमरेंद्र सरन मांडत आहेत.
तसेच सर्वोच्च न्यायालयाने समलैंगिकता म्हणजे काय, ते निसर्गाच्या विरोधात आहे, हे कोणत्या तज्ज्ञांनी स्पष्ट करून सांगायचे अशी विचारणा ही केली आहे. सर्वोच्च न्यायालयात समलैंगिक संबंधांना विरोध करणाऱ्या आयोगाची बाजू ज्येष्ठ वकील अमरेंद्र सरन मांडत आहेत.
देशात सुरू होणार 50 मिनी पासपोर्ट केंद्रे
सकाळ न्यूज नेटवर्क
नवी दिल्ली : पासपोर्ट सेवा प्रकल्पांतर्गत देशभरात 77 पासपोर्ट सेवा केंद्रे उभारली जात आहेत. यापैकी 50 केंद्रे कार्यान्वित झाली आहेत. उर्वरित केंद्रे या वर्षात सुरू होतील, असे परराष्ट्र मंत्रालयाच्या गोटातून सांगण्यात आले. शिवाय, आणखी 50"मिनी पासपोर्ट सेवा केंद्रे' उभारण्याची योजनाही सरकारच्या विचाराधीन आहे. खासगी व सरकारी क्षेत्राच्या भागीदारीतून ही योजना साकारलेली आहे. यामुळे नागरिकांना विनासायास पासपोर्टची प्रक्रिया पूर्ण करण्यास मदत होणार आहे.
महाराष्ट्रात मुंबईत तीन आणि गोवा, पुणे, नाशिक, नागपूर व ठाणे येथे प्रत्येकी एक पासपोर्ट सेवा केंद्र आहे. मुंबईतील दोन केंद्रे कार्यान्वित झाली आहेत, तर इतर विविध टप्प्यांत आहेत. पासपोर्ट काढण्यासाठी नागरिकांना परिश्रम पडतात. कागदपत्रांची पूर्तता करतानाही त्यांची दमछाक होते. त्यातून दलालांचे फावते. आता हे टाळणे शक्य होईल, असा दावा मंत्रालयाच्या गोटातून केला जात आहे. यासंबंधी माहिती देताना अधिकाऱ्यांनी सांगितले, की पूर्वीच्या तुलनेत आता ही प्रक्रिया खूपच सुलभ झाली आहे. जवळपास साठ टक्के पासपोर्ट पोलिसांच्या तपासणीपूर्वी जारी केले जातात. त्यांची पोलिस तपासणी नंतर केली जाते. पोलिस तपासणी हीच नागरिकांची मुख्य डोकेदुखी असते; परंतु जे नागरिक अर्जाबरोबरच त्यांच्या पोलिस ठाण्याचे "एसएचओ' किंवा ठाणेप्रमुखांचे अधिकृत पत्र घेऊन येतात, त्यांचे काम अग्रक्रमाने होते व त्यांना पासपोर्ट लवकर मिळतो. परंतु "तत्काळ' योजनेत पोलिस तपासणीखेरीज पासपोर्ट एका आठवड्यात मिळतो. त्यानंतर पोलिस तपासणी केली जाते. सध्या या योजनेचा लाभ घेणाऱ्यांची संख्याही वाढत आहे.
पासपोर्ट, व्हिसासंबंधी परदेशातील भारतीयांना मदत देण्याबाबत मंत्रालयाने विविध पावले उचलली आहेत. परंतु अलीकडच्या काळात परदेशी जोडप्यांकडून भारतात "सरोगसी'चे वाढते प्रकार घडू लागले आहेत. परदेशी जोडपी भारतीय मातांच्या माध्यमातून अपत्यप्राप्ती करून घेण्याचा हा प्रकार आहे. या संदर्भात नवनवे वाद निर्माण होत असल्याकडे लक्ष वेधले असता या अधिकाऱ्यांनी सांगितले, की अद्याप याबाबत नेमका व अचूक असा कायदा नसल्याने बऱ्याच अडचणी निर्माण होत आहेत.
भारतात अपत्य जन्माला आल्यानंतर त्याला ओळख प्रमाणपत्र देण्याचे कायदेशीर बंधन प्रशासनावर असते. ते दिलेही जाते; परंतु त्यानंतर संबंधित परदेशी जोडप्याने ते अपत्य स्वीकारणे किंवा संबंधित देशाने त्या मुलाला व्हिसा म्हणजेच त्या देशात प्रवेश देणे व स्वाभाविकपणे संबंधित देशाचे नागरिकत्व त्या अपत्याला मिळावे यासंबंधीचे नेमके नियम अद्याप अस्तित्वात नाहीत. यातूनच अनेक समस्या व कटकटी निर्माण होत आहेत. विशेष म्हणजे परदेशी जोडपी पर्यटक व्हिसा घेऊन येतात आणि या गोष्टी करून जातात. या समस्येवर तोडगा काढण्याबाबत विचार सुरू आहे.
नवी दिल्ली : पासपोर्ट सेवा प्रकल्पांतर्गत देशभरात 77 पासपोर्ट सेवा केंद्रे उभारली जात आहेत. यापैकी 50 केंद्रे कार्यान्वित झाली आहेत. उर्वरित केंद्रे या वर्षात सुरू होतील, असे परराष्ट्र मंत्रालयाच्या गोटातून सांगण्यात आले. शिवाय, आणखी 50"मिनी पासपोर्ट सेवा केंद्रे' उभारण्याची योजनाही सरकारच्या विचाराधीन आहे. खासगी व सरकारी क्षेत्राच्या भागीदारीतून ही योजना साकारलेली आहे. यामुळे नागरिकांना विनासायास पासपोर्टची प्रक्रिया पूर्ण करण्यास मदत होणार आहे.
महाराष्ट्रात मुंबईत तीन आणि गोवा, पुणे, नाशिक, नागपूर व ठाणे येथे प्रत्येकी एक पासपोर्ट सेवा केंद्र आहे. मुंबईतील दोन केंद्रे कार्यान्वित झाली आहेत, तर इतर विविध टप्प्यांत आहेत. पासपोर्ट काढण्यासाठी नागरिकांना परिश्रम पडतात. कागदपत्रांची पूर्तता करतानाही त्यांची दमछाक होते. त्यातून दलालांचे फावते. आता हे टाळणे शक्य होईल, असा दावा मंत्रालयाच्या गोटातून केला जात आहे. यासंबंधी माहिती देताना अधिकाऱ्यांनी सांगितले, की पूर्वीच्या तुलनेत आता ही प्रक्रिया खूपच सुलभ झाली आहे. जवळपास साठ टक्के पासपोर्ट पोलिसांच्या तपासणीपूर्वी जारी केले जातात. त्यांची पोलिस तपासणी नंतर केली जाते. पोलिस तपासणी हीच नागरिकांची मुख्य डोकेदुखी असते; परंतु जे नागरिक अर्जाबरोबरच त्यांच्या पोलिस ठाण्याचे "एसएचओ' किंवा ठाणेप्रमुखांचे अधिकृत पत्र घेऊन येतात, त्यांचे काम अग्रक्रमाने होते व त्यांना पासपोर्ट लवकर मिळतो. परंतु "तत्काळ' योजनेत पोलिस तपासणीखेरीज पासपोर्ट एका आठवड्यात मिळतो. त्यानंतर पोलिस तपासणी केली जाते. सध्या या योजनेचा लाभ घेणाऱ्यांची संख्याही वाढत आहे.
पासपोर्ट, व्हिसासंबंधी परदेशातील भारतीयांना मदत देण्याबाबत मंत्रालयाने विविध पावले उचलली आहेत. परंतु अलीकडच्या काळात परदेशी जोडप्यांकडून भारतात "सरोगसी'चे वाढते प्रकार घडू लागले आहेत. परदेशी जोडपी भारतीय मातांच्या माध्यमातून अपत्यप्राप्ती करून घेण्याचा हा प्रकार आहे. या संदर्भात नवनवे वाद निर्माण होत असल्याकडे लक्ष वेधले असता या अधिकाऱ्यांनी सांगितले, की अद्याप याबाबत नेमका व अचूक असा कायदा नसल्याने बऱ्याच अडचणी निर्माण होत आहेत.
भारतात अपत्य जन्माला आल्यानंतर त्याला ओळख प्रमाणपत्र देण्याचे कायदेशीर बंधन प्रशासनावर असते. ते दिलेही जाते; परंतु त्यानंतर संबंधित परदेशी जोडप्याने ते अपत्य स्वीकारणे किंवा संबंधित देशाने त्या मुलाला व्हिसा म्हणजेच त्या देशात प्रवेश देणे व स्वाभाविकपणे संबंधित देशाचे नागरिकत्व त्या अपत्याला मिळावे यासंबंधीचे नेमके नियम अद्याप अस्तित्वात नाहीत. यातूनच अनेक समस्या व कटकटी निर्माण होत आहेत. विशेष म्हणजे परदेशी जोडपी पर्यटक व्हिसा घेऊन येतात आणि या गोष्टी करून जातात. या समस्येवर तोडगा काढण्याबाबत विचार सुरू आहे.
Surrogate baby to soon get ID paper
Deccan Chronicle Service :
By Mohammed Shareef
Running from pillar to post to get clearance to fly home with her seven-week-old baby boy, US national J. Pearllinda Van Buren may finally have something to look forward to.
According to officials, she may soon get an identity certificate for her baby, named Emperor, who was born through surrogacy at a city clinic on December 7. The identity certificate will help Ms Van Buren, 48, fly with her baby to Jamaica, where she is based.
The baby was denied an Indian passport because he is not an Indian national.
What has compounded problems for Ms Van Buren is the fact that her husband, Eric Dalton Green, a Jamaican national and the only person with biological connection to the baby, cannot come to India. Ms Van Buren explained that her husband developed a fear of flying as a child, after his father died in an air crash, and cannot fly out here at any cost.
Now, the RPO has sent the baby’s documents to the ministry of external affairs with a letter explaining the situation and seeking advice on issuing an identity certificate and travel document. As per the Passport Act, a separate application is required for ID certificate for infants.
RPO K. Srikar Reddy said, “We have sent the details to the MEA and are waiting for the ministry’s advice. Ms Van Buren has not submitted (a separate) application for identity certificate for the baby, so we have asked her to submit it.”
According to sources, MEA needed a representation from the boy’s father. Mr Green being abroad would delay the process of issuing the ID certificate, the sources said.
After the couple decided to have a surrogate baby, Ms Van Buren arrived in India with seven samples of her husband’s semen. After trying in Mumbai and Goa, she decided to try for surrogacy in Hyderabad about 18 months ago. The conception was successful with the semen sample at Dr Rama Devi Fertility Clinic.
“I wish things would be cleared soon,” Ms Van Buren said. “I can’t stay here long as my financial situation is worsening.”
By Mohammed Shareef
Running from pillar to post to get clearance to fly home with her seven-week-old baby boy, US national J. Pearllinda Van Buren may finally have something to look forward to.
According to officials, she may soon get an identity certificate for her baby, named Emperor, who was born through surrogacy at a city clinic on December 7. The identity certificate will help Ms Van Buren, 48, fly with her baby to Jamaica, where she is based.
The baby was denied an Indian passport because he is not an Indian national.
What has compounded problems for Ms Van Buren is the fact that her husband, Eric Dalton Green, a Jamaican national and the only person with biological connection to the baby, cannot come to India. Ms Van Buren explained that her husband developed a fear of flying as a child, after his father died in an air crash, and cannot fly out here at any cost.
Now, the RPO has sent the baby’s documents to the ministry of external affairs with a letter explaining the situation and seeking advice on issuing an identity certificate and travel document. As per the Passport Act, a separate application is required for ID certificate for infants.
RPO K. Srikar Reddy said, “We have sent the details to the MEA and are waiting for the ministry’s advice. Ms Van Buren has not submitted (a separate) application for identity certificate for the baby, so we have asked her to submit it.”
According to sources, MEA needed a representation from the boy’s father. Mr Green being abroad would delay the process of issuing the ID certificate, the sources said.
After the couple decided to have a surrogate baby, Ms Van Buren arrived in India with seven samples of her husband’s semen. After trying in Mumbai and Goa, she decided to try for surrogacy in Hyderabad about 18 months ago. The conception was successful with the semen sample at Dr Rama Devi Fertility Clinic.
“I wish things would be cleared soon,” Ms Van Buren said. “I can’t stay here long as my financial situation is worsening.”
Surrogacy bill to be prepared for Icelandic parliament
Iceland (By Icenews service) : The Icelandic parliament has voted to begin the process of making surrogate mothers legal.
Alþingi yesterday passed a resolution calling on the Minister for Welfare to assemble a working group to prepare a parliamentary bill to allow surrogacy for benevolent purposes, i.e. not as a form of business.
The parliamentary resolution was sponsored by Independence Party MP Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir; who told parliament the bill must be written firstly to satisfy the best interests and rights of the unborn children involved, secondly to serve the best interests, independence, rights and welfare of the prospective surrogate mothers and their families, and thirdly to serve the best interests of the prospective families the children would go to.
The resolution was approved with 34 votes in favour, 13 votes against and four abstentions. There are 63 members of Alþingi, but not all are present at every debate.
The discussion around surrogacy in Iceland has been raging for years with a clear majority of opinion poll respondents usually in favour.
Alþingi yesterday passed a resolution calling on the Minister for Welfare to assemble a working group to prepare a parliamentary bill to allow surrogacy for benevolent purposes, i.e. not as a form of business.
The parliamentary resolution was sponsored by Independence Party MP Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir; who told parliament the bill must be written firstly to satisfy the best interests and rights of the unborn children involved, secondly to serve the best interests, independence, rights and welfare of the prospective surrogate mothers and their families, and thirdly to serve the best interests of the prospective families the children would go to.
The resolution was approved with 34 votes in favour, 13 votes against and four abstentions. There are 63 members of Alþingi, but not all are present at every debate.
The discussion around surrogacy in Iceland has been raging for years with a clear majority of opinion poll respondents usually in favour.
China couple with eight babies sparks surrogacy debate
By BBC News China
A debate on surrogacy and equality has arisen in China after it emerged that a wealthy couple in Guangdong are being investigated for having eight babies - five by surrogate mothers.
The couple spent almost one million yuan (US$157,600) on in vitro fertilisation and hiring two surrogate mothers, reports the Guangzhou Daily.
China has a one-child per family policy and surrogacy is illegal.
Those who break the rule face fines and potential jail terms.
The unidentified couple turned to artificial insemination after trying ''in vain for years'' to conceive naturally, according to Chinese media reports.
After successfully fertilising eight eggs, they hired the surrogate mothers. The woman gave birth to three babies herself.
The babies were born between September and October 2010. Authorities only found out about the four boys and four girls this year.
''This is not merely a case of excessive births but one about illegal surrogate pregnancies,'' a spokeswoman for the Guangdong Provincial Family Planning Commission told AFP news agency.
Surrogate 'packages'
The case, which is being investigated by the health department and other officials, has generated waves of comments on the internet.
However, it is not the ''excessive births'' that attracted the most interest. The fiery debate is over issues of illegal surrogacy and social inequality.
Despite a law against surrogacy, it remains a grey area as there are a number of Chinese websites offering surrogacy "services".
Some of them even offer a comprehensive range of packages from "economic" to "luxury", according to its report.
In order to avoid scrutiny, some of these agencies send surrogate mothers to countries such as Thailand or India for artificial insemination, and have them return to China to give birth.
'Unfair births'
It can cost up to one million yuan for a "complete surrogacy package" for a baby boy, a web search by the BBC reveals. Boys are valued over girls in China.
This means that only wealthy couples are able to turn to surrogacy as an alternative means to have children.
The couple in Guangdong hired 11 nannies to help look after their eight babies, Chinese media report.
Chinese internet users have been expressing outrage at the social injustice of what have been termed "unfair births" - whereby rich, childless people break the law and have babies by alternative means.
''Since they are so rich, they should be fined at least 80% of their total assets,'' says one web user.
In recent years, China has seen decreasing fertility rates. This is partly due to the phenomena of couples having children later in life due to career pressures, or the difficulty and rising cost of buying homes.
''For the rich and famous, money can buy anything,'' adds another commentator on the internet. ''Are family planning policies directed only towards the poor people?''
A debate on surrogacy and equality has arisen in China after it emerged that a wealthy couple in Guangdong are being investigated for having eight babies - five by surrogate mothers.
The couple spent almost one million yuan (US$157,600) on in vitro fertilisation and hiring two surrogate mothers, reports the Guangzhou Daily.
China has a one-child per family policy and surrogacy is illegal.
Those who break the rule face fines and potential jail terms.
The unidentified couple turned to artificial insemination after trying ''in vain for years'' to conceive naturally, according to Chinese media reports.
After successfully fertilising eight eggs, they hired the surrogate mothers. The woman gave birth to three babies herself.
The babies were born between September and October 2010. Authorities only found out about the four boys and four girls this year.
''This is not merely a case of excessive births but one about illegal surrogate pregnancies,'' a spokeswoman for the Guangdong Provincial Family Planning Commission told AFP news agency.
Surrogate 'packages'
The case, which is being investigated by the health department and other officials, has generated waves of comments on the internet.
However, it is not the ''excessive births'' that attracted the most interest. The fiery debate is over issues of illegal surrogacy and social inequality.
Despite a law against surrogacy, it remains a grey area as there are a number of Chinese websites offering surrogacy "services".
Some of them even offer a comprehensive range of packages from "economic" to "luxury", according to its report.
In order to avoid scrutiny, some of these agencies send surrogate mothers to countries such as Thailand or India for artificial insemination, and have them return to China to give birth.
'Unfair births'
It can cost up to one million yuan for a "complete surrogacy package" for a baby boy, a web search by the BBC reveals. Boys are valued over girls in China.
This means that only wealthy couples are able to turn to surrogacy as an alternative means to have children.
The couple in Guangdong hired 11 nannies to help look after their eight babies, Chinese media report.
Chinese internet users have been expressing outrage at the social injustice of what have been termed "unfair births" - whereby rich, childless people break the law and have babies by alternative means.
''Since they are so rich, they should be fined at least 80% of their total assets,'' says one web user.
In recent years, China has seen decreasing fertility rates. This is partly due to the phenomena of couples having children later in life due to career pressures, or the difficulty and rising cost of buying homes.
''For the rich and famous, money can buy anything,'' adds another commentator on the internet. ''Are family planning policies directed only towards the poor people?''
महाराष्ट्रात सरोगसीवर कायदा
भाजपचे आमदार विनोद तावडे आणि देवेन्द्र फडणवीस यांनी नुकत्याच झालेल्या २०११च्या हिवाळी अधिवेशनात अनुक्रमे विधान परिषद आणि विधान सभेमध्ये सरोगसीवर (महाराष्ट्र सहाय्यक प्रजनन तंत्रज्ञान (नियमन) अधिनियमन, २०११)अशासकीय विधेयक मांडले. या अशासकीय विधेयकातील महत्त्वाच्या तरतूदी,
सरोगसीचा लाभ घेणाऱ्या दाम्पत्यांसाठी आणि सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छिणाऱ्या महिलांसाठी नियमावली:
१. सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छित असणारी महिला महाराष्ट्राची नागरिक असावी.
२. महिलेचे वय २५ ते ३५ वयोगटातील असावे.
३. पाचपेक्षा अधिक जीवित मुले असलेल्या महिलेला सरोगेट मदर होता येणार नाही. (स्वत:च्या मुलांसहित)
४. ती महिला विवाहित असावी. सरोगेट मदर होण्यासाठी तिला पतीच्या संमतीसोबत कुटुंबाचीही सहमती असणे गरजेचे आहे.
५. ती महिला मूल आपल्या गर्भाशयात वाढविण्यासाठी सक्षम आहे का? याची वैद्यकीय तपासणी करून घेणे आवश्यक आहे.
६. सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छिणाऱ्या महिलेचे समुपदेशन करणे आवश्यक आहे.
७. सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छिणाऱ्या महिलेने 'असिस्टेड रिप्रोडक्टीव्ह टेक्नॉलॉजी' (ART) सेंटरमध्ये रीतसर पेशंट म्हणून मूळ नावाने आणि सध्या रहात असलेल्या पत्त्यासह नाव नोंदवणे आवश्यक आवश्यक आहे.
८. बाळाचा जन्म दाखला जेनेटिक पालकांच्या नावानुसारच तयार होणार.
९. एआरटी बँक /एआरटी क्लिनिक महाराष्ट्राव्यतिरिक्त अन्य कोणत्याही राज्याची निवासी असलेल्या स्त्रीला सरोगेट मदर बनण्याची परवानगी देणार नाही किंवा अन्य कोणत्याही राज्यात सरोगेट मदर पाठवणार नाही.
१०. या प्रकियेत लिंगनिदान चाचणी करता येणार नाही; केल्यास तो कायदेशीर गुन्हा ठरेल.
११. गर्भधारणा ते प्रसूतीदरम्यानचा आणि बाळाशी संबंधित सर्व खर्च जेनेटिक पालकांना करावा लागणार.
१२. एकावेळी एकाच महिलेला सरोगेट मदर म्हणून निवडता येऊ शकेल.
१३. एखादे परदेशी जोडपे महाराष्ट्रातून सरोगेट म्द्रची निवड करत असेल तर त्यांना या प्रक्रियेसाठी स्थानिक पालकाची निवड करणे बंधनकारक असेल. जन्माला येणाऱ्या बाळाची जबाबदारी स्थानिक पालकाची असेल.
१४. परदेशातून आलेल्या जोडप्यांकडून आवश्यक कागदपत्रे घेणे. त्या देशांच्या दूतावासाकडून सरोगसीला तेथे मान्यता आहे का? याची खातरजमा करून घेणे आवश्यक असेल.
१५. सरोगेट मदरला जेनेटिक पालकांद्वारे प्रमाणपत्र देण्यात यावे.
१६. सरोगेट मदर आणि जेनेटिक पालक यांच्यात कायदेशीर करारपत्र होईल. या करारपत्राप्रमाणे जेनेटिक पालक सरोगेट मदरला पैसे देतील.
१७. जेनेटिक पालक बलाचा ताबा घेत नसतील तर कायद्याप्रमाणे बाळाची जबाबदारी स्थानिक पालकाची असेल.
एआरटी क्लिनिक बँक आणि समुपदेशक यांना लागू होणारे नियम, पात्रता, मान्यता, कर्तव्ये, गुन्हे, दंड, तक्रारी आदी :
या प्रकरणात एआरटी व क्लिनिक बँकांची नोंदणी व मान्यता, नोंदणी अर्ज, नोंदणी अर्जाची मान्यता, नोंदणी नुतनीकरण, तहकुबी किंवा रद्द करणे, नोंदणी प्राधिकरणाद्वारे जागेची तपासणी, एआरटी क्लिनिकची सर्वसामान्य कर्तव्ये, लेखी व सर्व माहिती जाणून घेऊन दिली गेलेली संमती मिळविण्याचे एआरटीचे कर्तव्ये, अचूक नोंदी ठेवण्याबाबत एआरटी क्लिनिक व जिल्हा नोंदणी प्राधिकरणाची कर्तव्ये, रोपण-पूर्व जनुकीय निदान, लिंग निवड, एआरटी बँकेची कर्तव्ये, जननपेशी मिळवणे, जननपेशी व भ्रूण साठवणे, हाताळणे, जननपेशी, मूलपेशी व भ्रूण यांच्या विक्रीवरील निर्बंध, जन्मपूर्व लिंग व परीक्षणाची जाहिरात करण्यास प्रतिबंध घालणे व नियमाचा भंग केला गेल्यास दंड, गुन्हे व दंड, जन्मपूर्व चिकित्सा तंत्राच्या वापराच्या बाबतीत गृहीतक, ज्या तरतुदींबाबत कोणत्याही विशिष्ट शिक्षेची योजनाकेलेली नाही त्या तरतुदींचा भंग केल्याबद्दल दंड, दखलपात्र गुन्हा, राज्य मंडळाकडे सदर करावयाची याचिका, जिल्हा मंडळांसमोरील कार्यवाही असेल आदी बाबींचा
समावेश करण्यात आला आहे.
जिल्हा मंडळ व नोंदणी प्राधिकरण :
या प्रकरणात जिल्हा मंडळाची स्थापना, सभा, अधिकार व कार्ये यांची माहिती दिली आहे. त्याचबरोबर कार्यालय, सेवाशर्ती, जिल्हा मंडळाचे सदस्य निवडीच्या अटी, कामाची पद्धत, नोंदणी प्राधिकरणाची प्रस्थापना व कार्ये यांचा उल्लेख करण्यात आला आहे.
राज्य सल्लागार मंडळ :
या प्रकरणात राज्य सल्लागार मंडळाची स्थापना, राज्य सल्लागार मंडळाच्या सभा आणि कार्ये याबाबतची उद्दिष्ट्ये दिली आहेत.
रुग्ण, दाट, सरोगेट व मुलांचे अधिकार आणि कर्तव्ये :
या प्रकरणात रुग्णांचे अधिकार, कर्तव्ये, बीजांड-शुक्राणू देणगीदार आणि सरोगसीद्वारे जन्माला आलेले मूल यांच्याशी संबंधित अधिकार आणि नियमावली दिली आहे. तसेच जन्माला येणाऱ्या मुलाची कायदेशीर स्थिती अधिकृतपणे निश्चित करणे आणि त्या मुलाला दाता किंवा सरोगेट मदरबद्दल जाणून घेण्याचा अधिकार देण्यात आला आहे.
सरोगसीचा लाभ घेणाऱ्या दाम्पत्यांसाठी आणि सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छिणाऱ्या महिलांसाठी नियमावली:
१. सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छित असणारी महिला महाराष्ट्राची नागरिक असावी.
२. महिलेचे वय २५ ते ३५ वयोगटातील असावे.
३. पाचपेक्षा अधिक जीवित मुले असलेल्या महिलेला सरोगेट मदर होता येणार नाही. (स्वत:च्या मुलांसहित)
४. ती महिला विवाहित असावी. सरोगेट मदर होण्यासाठी तिला पतीच्या संमतीसोबत कुटुंबाचीही सहमती असणे गरजेचे आहे.
५. ती महिला मूल आपल्या गर्भाशयात वाढविण्यासाठी सक्षम आहे का? याची वैद्यकीय तपासणी करून घेणे आवश्यक आहे.
६. सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छिणाऱ्या महिलेचे समुपदेशन करणे आवश्यक आहे.
७. सरोगेट मदर होऊ इच्छिणाऱ्या महिलेने 'असिस्टेड रिप्रोडक्टीव्ह टेक्नॉलॉजी' (ART) सेंटरमध्ये रीतसर पेशंट म्हणून मूळ नावाने आणि सध्या रहात असलेल्या पत्त्यासह नाव नोंदवणे आवश्यक आवश्यक आहे.
८. बाळाचा जन्म दाखला जेनेटिक पालकांच्या नावानुसारच तयार होणार.
९. एआरटी बँक /एआरटी क्लिनिक महाराष्ट्राव्यतिरिक्त अन्य कोणत्याही राज्याची निवासी असलेल्या स्त्रीला सरोगेट मदर बनण्याची परवानगी देणार नाही किंवा अन्य कोणत्याही राज्यात सरोगेट मदर पाठवणार नाही.
१०. या प्रकियेत लिंगनिदान चाचणी करता येणार नाही; केल्यास तो कायदेशीर गुन्हा ठरेल.
११. गर्भधारणा ते प्रसूतीदरम्यानचा आणि बाळाशी संबंधित सर्व खर्च जेनेटिक पालकांना करावा लागणार.
१२. एकावेळी एकाच महिलेला सरोगेट मदर म्हणून निवडता येऊ शकेल.
१३. एखादे परदेशी जोडपे महाराष्ट्रातून सरोगेट म्द्रची निवड करत असेल तर त्यांना या प्रक्रियेसाठी स्थानिक पालकाची निवड करणे बंधनकारक असेल. जन्माला येणाऱ्या बाळाची जबाबदारी स्थानिक पालकाची असेल.
१४. परदेशातून आलेल्या जोडप्यांकडून आवश्यक कागदपत्रे घेणे. त्या देशांच्या दूतावासाकडून सरोगसीला तेथे मान्यता आहे का? याची खातरजमा करून घेणे आवश्यक असेल.
१५. सरोगेट मदरला जेनेटिक पालकांद्वारे प्रमाणपत्र देण्यात यावे.
१६. सरोगेट मदर आणि जेनेटिक पालक यांच्यात कायदेशीर करारपत्र होईल. या करारपत्राप्रमाणे जेनेटिक पालक सरोगेट मदरला पैसे देतील.
१७. जेनेटिक पालक बलाचा ताबा घेत नसतील तर कायद्याप्रमाणे बाळाची जबाबदारी स्थानिक पालकाची असेल.
एआरटी क्लिनिक बँक आणि समुपदेशक यांना लागू होणारे नियम, पात्रता, मान्यता, कर्तव्ये, गुन्हे, दंड, तक्रारी आदी :
या प्रकरणात एआरटी व क्लिनिक बँकांची नोंदणी व मान्यता, नोंदणी अर्ज, नोंदणी अर्जाची मान्यता, नोंदणी नुतनीकरण, तहकुबी किंवा रद्द करणे, नोंदणी प्राधिकरणाद्वारे जागेची तपासणी, एआरटी क्लिनिकची सर्वसामान्य कर्तव्ये, लेखी व सर्व माहिती जाणून घेऊन दिली गेलेली संमती मिळविण्याचे एआरटीचे कर्तव्ये, अचूक नोंदी ठेवण्याबाबत एआरटी क्लिनिक व जिल्हा नोंदणी प्राधिकरणाची कर्तव्ये, रोपण-पूर्व जनुकीय निदान, लिंग निवड, एआरटी बँकेची कर्तव्ये, जननपेशी मिळवणे, जननपेशी व भ्रूण साठवणे, हाताळणे, जननपेशी, मूलपेशी व भ्रूण यांच्या विक्रीवरील निर्बंध, जन्मपूर्व लिंग व परीक्षणाची जाहिरात करण्यास प्रतिबंध घालणे व नियमाचा भंग केला गेल्यास दंड, गुन्हे व दंड, जन्मपूर्व चिकित्सा तंत्राच्या वापराच्या बाबतीत गृहीतक, ज्या तरतुदींबाबत कोणत्याही विशिष्ट शिक्षेची योजनाकेलेली नाही त्या तरतुदींचा भंग केल्याबद्दल दंड, दखलपात्र गुन्हा, राज्य मंडळाकडे सदर करावयाची याचिका, जिल्हा मंडळांसमोरील कार्यवाही असेल आदी बाबींचा
समावेश करण्यात आला आहे.
जिल्हा मंडळ व नोंदणी प्राधिकरण :
या प्रकरणात जिल्हा मंडळाची स्थापना, सभा, अधिकार व कार्ये यांची माहिती दिली आहे. त्याचबरोबर कार्यालय, सेवाशर्ती, जिल्हा मंडळाचे सदस्य निवडीच्या अटी, कामाची पद्धत, नोंदणी प्राधिकरणाची प्रस्थापना व कार्ये यांचा उल्लेख करण्यात आला आहे.
राज्य सल्लागार मंडळ :
या प्रकरणात राज्य सल्लागार मंडळाची स्थापना, राज्य सल्लागार मंडळाच्या सभा आणि कार्ये याबाबतची उद्दिष्ट्ये दिली आहेत.
रुग्ण, दाट, सरोगेट व मुलांचे अधिकार आणि कर्तव्ये :
या प्रकरणात रुग्णांचे अधिकार, कर्तव्ये, बीजांड-शुक्राणू देणगीदार आणि सरोगसीद्वारे जन्माला आलेले मूल यांच्याशी संबंधित अधिकार आणि नियमावली दिली आहे. तसेच जन्माला येणाऱ्या मुलाची कायदेशीर स्थिती अधिकृतपणे निश्चित करणे आणि त्या मुलाला दाता किंवा सरोगेट मदरबद्दल जाणून घेण्याचा अधिकार देण्यात आला आहे.
IVF brings two-fold joy to Spanish businessman
Times of India
NEW DELHI: Juan Carlos couldn't be happier. The Spanish businessman has been blessed with two bundles of joy - son Antonio and daughter Rosio. The twins are India's New Year gift to the 41-year-old. Born to a surrogate mother, both the babies are healthy, weighing 2.7kg and 2.5kg respectively.
"Antonio has a dimple in the right cheek. Rosio looks like a queen already. I am going to shower all happiness in the world on my kids. They complete my life," he says.
Carlos says though he did not want to marry, he always wanted to be a father. "After thinking over it for several years, I opted for surrogacy. Thanks to the woman who agreed to make my wish come true and the doctors in India, today I am a proud father to not one but two children," the single father said. Carlos added that the successful childbirth comes after three failed attempts.
Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour, director, Isis Hospital, where the IVF procedure was conducted successfully, said that the cost of surrogacy in India is Rs 12-14 lakh compared to 2 million dollars (approximately) in the US.
"There has been a 60-70% increase in foreign nationals opting for surrogacy in the recent years. At present, 120 surrogate mothers associated with our clinic are pregnant and 180 deliveries are expected till August. There is a huge demand not only because of cheap facilities but the fact that Indian women are not usually into drugs and alcohol. Children born to surrogate mothers are relatively healthy," said Gour. She added that maximum patients - single men/ women, gay couple and those suffering from medical conditions that cause infertility - come from Australia, Spain, the US, and European nations.
The IVF centre, Gour said, hires surrogate mothers through an agency and the patients are brought in by companies dealing with medical tourism. "On an average, we get 10-15 requests for surrogacy in India from Spain. The demand from other countries is also very high," said Avinash Kumar, who works at a private agency. Many Indians too, who are either divorced or want to remain single, are also opting for assisted reproductive technique (ART) in which a woman carries the baby of another woman in her womb.
Indian Council of Medical Research issued guidelines in 2005 which allow surrogacy only in cases where no other possibility of reproduction exists.
Legal experts say that surrogate parents are given the status of guardians applying the adoption provision under Indian Guardianship and Wards Act 1890.
NEW DELHI: Juan Carlos couldn't be happier. The Spanish businessman has been blessed with two bundles of joy - son Antonio and daughter Rosio. The twins are India's New Year gift to the 41-year-old. Born to a surrogate mother, both the babies are healthy, weighing 2.7kg and 2.5kg respectively.
"Antonio has a dimple in the right cheek. Rosio looks like a queen already. I am going to shower all happiness in the world on my kids. They complete my life," he says.
Carlos says though he did not want to marry, he always wanted to be a father. "After thinking over it for several years, I opted for surrogacy. Thanks to the woman who agreed to make my wish come true and the doctors in India, today I am a proud father to not one but two children," the single father said. Carlos added that the successful childbirth comes after three failed attempts.
Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour, director, Isis Hospital, where the IVF procedure was conducted successfully, said that the cost of surrogacy in India is Rs 12-14 lakh compared to 2 million dollars (approximately) in the US.
"There has been a 60-70% increase in foreign nationals opting for surrogacy in the recent years. At present, 120 surrogate mothers associated with our clinic are pregnant and 180 deliveries are expected till August. There is a huge demand not only because of cheap facilities but the fact that Indian women are not usually into drugs and alcohol. Children born to surrogate mothers are relatively healthy," said Gour. She added that maximum patients - single men/ women, gay couple and those suffering from medical conditions that cause infertility - come from Australia, Spain, the US, and European nations.
The IVF centre, Gour said, hires surrogate mothers through an agency and the patients are brought in by companies dealing with medical tourism. "On an average, we get 10-15 requests for surrogacy in India from Spain. The demand from other countries is also very high," said Avinash Kumar, who works at a private agency. Many Indians too, who are either divorced or want to remain single, are also opting for assisted reproductive technique (ART) in which a woman carries the baby of another woman in her womb.
Indian Council of Medical Research issued guidelines in 2005 which allow surrogacy only in cases where no other possibility of reproduction exists.
Legal experts say that surrogate parents are given the status of guardians applying the adoption provision under Indian Guardianship and Wards Act 1890.
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