Hyderabad: Telangana State Health Minister on Thursday said the state government will try to bring in a law on surrogacy.
While addressing the Legislative Assembly during the question hour, C Laxma Reddy said that the state government is planning to agree to look into oppositions suggestions about the surrogacy bill which to curb exploitation of women introduced which was introduced in 2016 in Lok Sabha.
Since many poor women are exploited in the surrogacy process, Opposition party members G Chinna Reddy, J Geeta Reddy and Padmavati Reddy have earlier expressed their concerns over the illegal infertility centres allegedly running in Hyderabad to curb the practice.
Geeta Reddy speaking of the same said, “Will the minister take up seriously that this government should be a pioneer in this, lead the way for the rest of the country and bring in an Act, Act for surrogacy”.
The health minister then said that the state government has appointed a committee headed by a retired judge to make suggestions and recommendations on the matter.
“A committee of experts has been appointed under the leadership of Justice Gopal Reddy, a retired judge. The committee has been appointed to give suggestions and advice on this. As per the suggestions of that committee…,” he said.
He further said, “The Centre introduced the surrogacy bill in Lok Sabha in 2016. We will follow the suggestions made in that we will try to bring an Act, for the first time in India, as said by Geeta Reddy”.
He said there are 27 fertility centres registered in Hyderabad.
A criminal case was filed against a hospital here for allegedly conducting commercial surrogacy, he said.
The action was initiated against the hospital under Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act for performing commercial surrogacy without obtaining the necessary licences, Laxma Reddy said.