Australia wants Thailand to relax surrogacy laws
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Australia asked for relaxation of Thai law enforcement on surrogacy during transition period of mothers and babies for humanitarian reasons, Foreign Ministry's Permanent Secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Saturday.
In a bilateral meeting on the sideline of Asean meeting, Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop told Sihasak that her government has no policy to support commercial surrogacy and Thailand has full authority to handle the issue in accordance with domestic laws.
The surrogacy become an issue of bilateral tie between Thailand and Australia since a news that a baby boy born to a surrogate mother might be abandoned by an Australian couple after found he has down syndrome.
Investigation found the case was arranged by an agent for commercial purpose. Sihasak said the Australian minister Bishop told him that Canberra never supported any Australians to have surrogated children in Thailand.
But there might be some ongoing cases which surrogate mothers are still pregnant and Australia asked Thai authority to give relaxation to them for humanitarian reason, Sihasak said.
Asked what the Australian government can do on the particular case of a baby boy Gammy who was born to a Chonburi woman months ago, Sihasak said Australian charity groups have lent their hands to this case.
