New legislation can help avoid Manji-like cases …………Malathy Iyer | TNN
Mumbai: Though many fear the new Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill & Rules, 2008along with the mountainous paperworkwill only increase costs, an equal number feel that the new laws protect all the parties involved, from the parents and surrogate women to the child and the doctors.
The 135-page draft rules attempt to plug the many loopholes that have brought infamy to the world of infertility treatment. For the first time, there will be regulation, said a doctor. Situations such as Japanese baby Manjis plighther parents broke up and her surrogate mother doesnt want hercan henceforth be avoided. For instance, all foreigners seeking infertility treatment in India will first have to register with their embassy. Their notarized statement will then have to be handed over to the treating doctor. The foreign couple will also state whom the child should be entrusted to (which set of grandparents, for instance) in case of an eventuality such as a genetic parents death.