SURROGATE MOMS NOT WILLING TO LEAVE CENTRE

The Hyderabad High Court on Thursday directed the Telangana state government and its authorities to take steps to safeguard the unborn babies and surrogate mothers who have been left in the lurch after the police raid on an infertility centre in the city recently.

The government informed the court that as directed by the High Court, a medical team has to examine the 47 mothers, 37 of whom are pregnant and 10 awaiting surrogacy procedures.

When the bench sought to know whether the hospital has been seized or not, B.S. Prasad, counsel for the state medical and health department, told the court that a show cause notice was issued to the management and a reply is awaited.

When the bench enquired about the fate of the surrogate mothers, the counsel replied that the surrogate mothers were not willing to leave the centre though the government was ready to take care of them.

The counsel appearing for the hospital said that a reply has already been sent to the show cause notice.

Meanwhile, Kiran Fertility Clinic and several couples for whom the surrogates are bearing children have impleaded themselves in the case. These couples have asked the court to permit them to visit the surrogate mothers so as to ensure their well being.

The bench directed the medical and health director to visit the surrogate mothers on a regular basis and ensure they were in good health.

While adjourning the case for three weeks, the bench directed the government to file a counter affidavit without affecting the privacy of surrogate mothers. The court asked the authorities to inform it if the infertility centre was to be closed.