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Nepal latest country to ban commercial surrogacy deals with overseas families. Picture: iStock Source: Supplied
THE future of dozens of families has been thrown into limbo after Nepal followed India and Thailand and announced a crackdown on the commercial surrogacy market.
The Supreme Court of Nepal has issued an interim order putting immediate stop to commercial surrogacy services in the country.
Surrogacy Australia founder Sam Everingham said between 60 and 80 desperate Australian couples currently have Nepalese surrogates pregnant with their children.
Sixty to 80 desperate Australian families have Nepalese surrogates pregnant with their baby. Picture: iStock Source: Supplied
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said the decision means the status of those existing surrogacy arrangements is now unclear.
“The Australian Government strongly recommends that commissioning parents not consider surrogacy in Nepal,†the Department said in an updated travel advisory.
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Mr Everingham said his organisation has been assured the 70 or so Australian couples who are expecting to have babies born in Nepal over the coming months will be able to get their children home.
But he said the changes could mean couples are delayed by as long as six months in Nepal as they battle to get exit visas for their newborn babies.
Mr Everingham said the news has been incredibly stressful for couples seeking to have children via overseas surrogates, particularly after Thailand, India and Cambodia all changed their laws to prevent Australian couples from engaging surrogates.
“There is a huge unmet need out there for surrogates, it is incredibly stressful for families,†he said.
“This is a really good example of why we need commercial surrogacy, so we don’t have to rely so much on third world countries to help out Australians.â€
A mother and her baby in Nepal where the supreme court has banned commercial surrogacy. Picture: iStock Source: Supplied
The latest DFAT advise, issued on Tuesday night, said overseas surrogacy gives rise to significant legal and social issues.
“Surrogacy is poorly regulated in many countries, which gives rise to a range of concerns for the welfare of the parties involved,†the Department said.
“Concerns include both the potential exploitation of women and differing approaches among countries to the legal rights of children who are born as a result.â€