The scandal caused by the abandonment of Baby Gammy born to a surrogate mother following a business agreement between an Australian couple and a young Thai woman, has triggered a reaction from authorities in Thailand.
They have launched an official enquiry in order to control medically assisted procreation centres (MAP), including the centre involved in Gammy’s birth. During these investigations, the authorities were informed of nine babies and their “nannies” living in a Bangkok apartment. DNA tests have confirmed that all of the babies were fathered by the same Japanese man.
On 13 August, the military junta (in power) adopted a draft law to incarcerate commercial surrogacy practitioners for a period of 10 years. This decision is hampering many couples who are prevented from leaving Thai soil with their surrogate child(ren). The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is asking Thailand to agree to a transition period to ensure that couples already involved in the surrogacy process are not affected by the new measures.
The next conference to be held at The Hague in 2015 and dedicated to international adoption could well provide an opportunity to sign an agreement regarding surrogate mothers.
The Guardian (Melissa Davey) 15/08/2014 – CNN (Kocha Olarn, Hilary Whiteman) 7/08/2014