The Uganda Law Reform has proposed to parliament that unmarried individuals should be allowed to have children through surrogacy. They shared their perspective with the parliamentary health committee reviewing a bill put forth by Sarah Opendi, titled The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill 2023.
The parliamentary health committee has started discussions on The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill Private Members Bill 2023, brought by Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi. During the meeting, officials from the Law Reform Commission advocated for the inclusion of unmarried individuals to have children through assisted reproductive technology.
While the bill currently permits couples experiencing infertility issues to utilize these techniques for having children, the government’s legal review body suggests that single adults should not be excluded. They also propose that couples without health complications should be allowed to have children through surrogacy.
Furthermore, they recommend that women engaged in carrying pregnancies and men donating eggs should not be referred to as the mothers or fathers of children born through ART.
The Law Reform Commission also suggests that there should be a formal agreement between the volunteer carrying another person’s pregnancy, and the egg donor, and registration of this agreement with the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council.
Additionally, they propose limitations on the number of times a man can donate his gametes and the number of times a woman can act as a surrogate, aiming to prevent a scenario where one person gives birth to numerous children.
The government’s legal review body also suggests raising the minimum age for individuals engaging in ART from 18 to 21 years.
One current issue is determining the appropriate compensation for surrogates. MPs are worried that without regulation, the practice might become overly commercialized.
On Tuesday, 05 March 2024, the House received the human assisted reproductive Technology Bill 2023 for the first time reading.
The former Minister of State for Health (General Duties), Hon. Sarah Opendi, has introduced a private members’ Bill seeking to regulate the human assisted reproductive technology following the increase in the number of persons opting for the service in the country.
The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, of 2023, also seeks to provide for the rights and duties of persons involved in human-assisted reproductive technology and the rights of children born through the technology and regulate the donation and storage of embryos.
