The Union Cabinet approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020, on 26 February. The Bill will allow widows and divorced women to be surrogate mothers. The Bill has incorporated all recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha Select Committee. The amended Bill is the reformed version of the draft legislation, which was passed by Lok Sabha in August 2019. Aim: The Bill aims to ensure effective regulation of the surrogacy service. It bans commercial surrogacy and allow altruistic surrogacy. Bill provisions: The Bill aims to ensure effective regulation of the surrogacy service. The Bill has now proposed that the surrogate mother should be a “willing” woman. Earlier it was termed and instructed as “close relative.” The Bill has recommended that not only close relatives but any woman, whether she is a widow or divorcee, who is “willing” should be allowed to act as a surrogate mother. The Bill stated that only Indian couples (both partners being of Indian origins) could opt for surrogacy in the country. The Cabinet decided that the insurance cover of the surrogate mother, which was proposed for 16 months, should be increased to 36 months. As per the Bill, National Surrogacy Board at the central level and State Surrogacy Board and appropriate authorities in states and Union Territories (UT) respectively, will be established to regulate surrogacy. The commercial surrogacy, including sale and purchase of human embryo and gametes, ethical surrogacy to Indian married couples, will be prohibited.
