BANGKOK, May 31 (TNA) – The Department of Health Service Support and the Department of Special Investigation signed an agreement to jointly handle illegal transnational surrogacy services and two cases of the crime have been accepted as special cases.
Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, signed the agreement with Dr Triyarith Temahivong, director-general of the Department of Special Investigation. It was aimed at protecting the children who were born through illegal surrogacy services.
In the future, a relevant law will be amended to allow foreigners to seek surrogacy to end illicit surrogacy services. The present law requires either spouse who seeks surrogacy to be Thai. Highly capable and experienced Thai doctors make Thailand an attractive source of the services.
Dr Triyarith said that during COVID-19 outbreaks transnational surrogacy services left 19 newly born children stranded in Thailand because surrogate mothers could not leave the country to deliver birth abroad. The children were 1-2 years old now and were under the care of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, he said. (TNA)
