Thailand’s parliament has passed legislation passed a law banning foreigners and same-sex couples from seeking surrogacy services.
Under the new law, only married Thai couples or couples with one Thai partner who have been married at least three years can seek surrogacy, and commercial surrogacy is banned, reports the BBC.
The legislation passed by Thailand’s national legislative assembly on Thursday closed loopholes in the country’s public health laws that enabled commercial surrogacy to thrive.
“This law aims to stop Thai women’s wombs from becoming the world’s womb. This law bans foreign couples from coming to Thailand to seek commercial surrogacy services,” National Legislative Assembly member Wanlop Tankananurak told Reuters.
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Thailand’s “rent-a-womb” industry, which had made the Asian country a hotspot for the so-called “fertility tourism,” had come under a spotlight last year after a baby born of a Thai surrogate mother was allegedly abandoned by his Australian parents.