March 30, 2010

MPs, representatives of NGOs and experts discussed, March 30, 2010 at a round-table held by the National Assembly issues regarding the legal regulation of surrogate pregnancy in Bulgaria. The forum was titled "Surrogate pregnancy’s legal regulation and debate on the age limit for performing in vitro fertilization procedures in Bulgaria” and was held under the auspices of Dr. Lachezar Ivanov, chair of the parliamentary Health Committee.

Dr. Lachezar Ivanov informed the audience that in Bulgaria the substitute (surrogate) pregnancy is not yet legal and should exclude in the future females under the age of 18 years, with mental or psychological illness, carriers of AIDS or hepatitis.

According to Dr. Luchezar Ivanov, the services of surrogate mothers should be compensated in forms other than monetary. According to him the paid service, if included in the law, will distort the idea.

MP Kalina Krumova, said the regulation of the surrogate pregnancy may be done by amending the Health Act and several others such as the Family and Penal Code, the Civil Procedures Act and others as needed. She also stressed that the word “surrogate” is not suitable and should be replaced by “substitute” instead. She further proposed that the legislation should impose to women willing to become “substitute” fetus carriers the requirement to have at least one healthy child of their own.

The legislative changes prepared by Kalina Krumova (MP from ATAKA) propose that only women, aged between 25 and 43 years, would be able to provide such services not more than twice. The latter is to avoid the commercialization of the substitute motherhood.