New Delhi [India], Aug 6 (ANI): The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a Bill which prohibits commercial surrogacy and allows "altruistic surrogacy" which does not involve monetary compensation to the surrogate mother apart from medical expenses and insurance coverage during the pregnancy.The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, was passed after a reply by Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan.The Bill seeks to prohibit exploitation of surrogate mothers and children born through surrogacy and allows "ethical surrogacy" to the needy infertile Indian couples.The Bill allows surrogacy for couples who suffer from proven infertility and says they should have a 'certificate of essentiality' and a 'certificate of eligibility' issued by the appropriate authorities.The Bill says surrogacy clinics cannot undertake surrogacy related procedures unless they are registered by the appropriate authority.The offences under the Bill include undertaking or advertising commercial surrogacy, exploiting the surrogate mother, abandoning, exploiting or disowning a surrogate child and selling or importing human embryo or gametes for surrogacy.The Bill was passed by the previous Lok Sabha in December 2018 but lapsed with its dissolution. (ANI)

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