News

Crackdown on surrogacy in Thailand.

The Thai military government all of a sudden declared an audit of all IVF clinics dealing with surrogacy in Thailand. Current practices and clients' contracts will be checked by police.

AllIVF, the biggest IVF clinic offering services to almost all surrogacy operators in Thailand has been ordered to cease all medical activities. All surrogacy and egg donation programs in Thailand, as well as scheduled embryo transfers have been halted. The surrogates who are pregnant already might have their medical checkups not at a surrogacy clinic where their IVF program has been implemented, but at local hospitals, as if it were a usual pregnancy. It is not clear how the resulting children birth and registration would be arranged. It is still unknown what would happen to existing contracts and programs underway.

New regulations are being prepared by military authorities. Most probably commercial surrogacy will be permanently banned in Thailand. Only officially married heterosexual couples would have access to this technique. Gay couples and single intended parents most probably would be unable to implement their surrogacy programs in Thailand. Gender selection for family planning will be banned. To avoid a conflict of interests, IVF clinics won't be allowed to provide surrogates and egg donors, an independent agency should provide the candidates instead.

We advise not to start any surrogacy program in Thailand until new guidelines are approved by military authorities. Before signing any contract get an independent lawyer specialized in international surrogacy.