Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) The Ministry of Health and Welfare set to introduce draft amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act, which can give attention to increasing entry to assisted copy and legalizing surrogacy, as early as the tip of subsequent 12 months.

The ministry is poised to tender draft revisions to the act, which might doubtlessly give the general public the choice of surrogacy, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) advised reporters earlier than attending a gathering on the legislature.

Hsueh’s remarks got here at some point after Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential nominee Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) mentioned, if elected, he would raise restrictions on girls freezing their eggs and legalize surrogacy.

Surrogacy is at the moment unlawful in Taiwan, however Hsueh mentioned he’s impartial concerning the difficulty.

The draft amendments shall be topic to legislative evaluate and the conclusion reached will mirror public opinion and be revered, the minister mentioned.

Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍), director-general of the Health Promotion Administration, advised reporters that the draft amendments will give attention to surrogacy, granting same-sex {couples} and single girls equal rights to assisted copy, and making certain the rights of kids born by way of these two means.

Over the previous 30 months, he mentioned, the ministry held 13 conferences attended by consultants to debate draft amendments concerning surrogacy and has finalized 42 draft articles.

Another assembly is anticipated to be held this month to debate draft articles concerning penalties, Wu mentioned.

The draft amendments will undergo a two-month public evaluate within the first half of subsequent 12 months, after which conferences shall be held to collect the opinions of girls’s rights teams and authorized and medical consultants, Wu mentioned.

The proposals are anticipated to be delivered to the Cabinet for evaluate by the tip of subsequent 12 months, Wu added.

“We have no preconceived notions and hope that all parties involved will arrive at a middle ground,” he mentioned.

Some hotly debated points throughout the conferences included guidelines concerning “healthcare rights, legal custody, women’s bodily autonomy, and family ethics” which might require the safety of legal guidelines and contracts, Wu mentioned.

If Taiwan legalizes surrogacy, related consultancy companies and contracts must be created to guard the rights of surrogate moms and shoppers, he mentioned.

A pattern contract shall be revealed to tell the shoppers and surrogate moms of sure particulars, for instance, guidelines on funds for dietary supplements throughout surrogacy.