[AU] "Changes proposed by Surrogacy Australia would make paying for arrangement illegal" by Sally Brooks

An interesting story just posted to the ABC Australia website by Sally Brooks on surrogacy in the Northern Territory.  It is a Territory that we don't hear about often and this piece includes some comment from Sam Everingham.

A group supporting surrogate families says the Northern Territory Government should outlaw commercial surrogacy, but make it legal for a woman to be paid compensation to carry a child.

Surrogacy Australia will send a draft bill to Attorney-General John Elferink, which, if legislated, would bring the Territory's laws into line with other states.

The NT is the only jurisdiction in Australia without surrogacy legislation.

This means commercial and altruistic surrogacy is technically allowed in the NT, although medical professionals are regulated by Commonwealth ethical guidelines which ban assisting people with commercial surrogacy.

Paying a woman to carry someone else's child is prohibited in every other jurisdiction, but altruistic surrogacy is allowed and regulated.

Surrogacy Australia founder Sam Everingham said there are key differences between paying a woman compensation to carry a child and allowing commercial surrogacy.

Under commercial models, surrogates must surrender the child post birth, he said.

"In Australia, under an altruistic model, the surrogate is allowed to change her mind, although that hardly ever happens, but that's one of the positions of an altruistic model," he said.

"The UK is a good example it has an altruistic model that Australia has, but it does allow compensation of surrogates to a capped amount."

Continue Reading at ABC News.