In the interim order, the SC has also asked the hospitals operating surrogacy services and the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to furnish clarification citing legal grounds on which they were ruining such businesses.The SC has ordered them to immediately halt the services stating that surrogacy services should be run only after formulation of laws, not merely on the basis of a letter provided by department of the MoHP.
Many private hospitals have been providing surrogacy services on the basis of permission letter issued by Personnel Administration Division (PAD), which is not the authorized department of the MoHP to issue such letters.
The MoHP needs to formulate laws on surrogacy before allowing surrogacy businesses to operate.
In the writ filed on Sunday, the petitioners have said that hospitals should not be allowed to carry out human trafficking in the name of surrogacy services at a time when there are no laws governing them. It has named the prime minister, cabinet secretariat, MoHP and Health Department as the defendants in the case.
Other defendants are Grande City Clinic and Diagnostic Center, Grande International Hospital, Om Hospital and Venus Hospital, all of whom have been providing surrogacy services.
The writ states that women are economically exploited in the process as hospitals charge hefty amount from the clients and pay only up to Rs 4,00,000 to surrogate mothers.
The government's decision to allow surrogacy services that takes undue advantage of women's poverty, ignorance, lack of jobs, low social status and open border with the lure of money to sell their wombs is height of irresponsibility, as per the writ.
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