Syllabus: GS-I
Subject: Â Current Affairs
Topic: Acts, Bills, Rules & Guidelines
Issue: Surrogacy
Context: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notified amendments to the Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules, 2022.
- A gamete is a reproductive cell of an animal or plant.
Amendments:
| Before Amendment | Now |
| Prohibition of donor gametes: Couples undergoing surrogacy must have both gametes from the intending couple only. | Allowed: Couples (husband or wife) suffering from medical conditions, allowed to use one donor gamete. |
- Single women (widow or divorcee) undergoing surrogacy must use self-eggs and donor sperm to avail surrogacy procedures.
Prelims Connect (Terms in News)
Surrogacy:
- It is the practice wherein a woman agrees to carry a foetus and give birth to a baby for someone else.
- The surrogate won’t have any parental rights on the child.
Surrogacy Regulation Act 2021
- Prohibits commercial surrogacy: Only altruistic surrogacy is permitted.
- Eligibility: Only married Indian couples with proven medical infertility.
- and single Indian women who are medically incapable of conceiving.
- Establishes a National Surrogacy Board and State Surrogacy Boards to regulate clinics and oversee surrogacy procedures.
- Maintains the confidentiality of the identities of the surrogate mother and the intending parents.
