'Foreign nationals to consult consulates to seek surrogacy'

Eight European countries wanting to opt for surrogacy-assisted In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment will be directed by a few city-based IVF clinics to their respective consulates before starting the treatment, the doctors said.

"Our collective decision comes after the consul generals of Germany, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain notified more than ten IVF centres in Mumbai not to offer surrogacy treatment to nationals of their countries," the doctors said.

The consulates had made note that surrogacy contracts were illegal in their countries.

"This awareness is important for all of us who are practising and come in touch with foreign nationals," Dr Anjali Malpani, an infertility specialist, said.

Most of the clinics that have received letters from eight countries' consulate welcomed the step taken by the European offices in India as several ethical issues regarding surrogacy still remain to be clarified, she told PTI.

Malpani said that most of the good infertility clinics already take precautions keeping in mind the problems that the new born could face in their respective countries and doctors should be made aware of these facts, she said.

Malpani also said, "it was good that they (consulates) wrote to us to direct their nationals in case of any surrogacy request and we understand that it is purely in the interest of the future of the babies."

Many of the small clinics, which rampantly suggest for surrogacy, may not even know about many countries where surrogacy is illegal, she said.

Malpani said that "even in countries like US, surrogacy is legal but few federal states do not allow commercial surrogacy."

The doctors also said there are countries in the world where the country per se may allow but each federal state will have different rules which the Indian specialists may not come to know.

The IVF specialists said that they follow ICMR guidelines which allow surrogacy.

"Therefore, the letter from these European countries are very significant for our future," doctors from Lilavati and Hiranandani hospitals who deal with lot of foreign nations in their IVF clinics.

Malpani reiterated that these letters are eye-openers for small and big IVF clinics and also for the foreigners who seek surrogacy.

Meanwhile, the medico-legal expert on surrogacy Amit Kharkhanis told PTI that there is an urgent need to have a concrete law for surrogacy in India and the Centre has to take up the issue on a warfooting.

"We have guidelines of the ICMR of 2005 which were updated in 2008," he said.

"India should not allow IVF as an industry for producing designer babies and therefore there is an urgent need for regulations which should be brought through a law," Kharkhanis said.