Altogether 621 surrogacy cases have been approved in Thailand in the seven years since surrogacy services were legalised in the country, according to Dr. Sura Visetsak, director-general of the Health Service Support Department.
He said that the law to protect children, born as a result of assisted reproductive technology, was enacted to enable legally-married but infertile couples to have children while preventing the commercialisation of assisted reproductive technology.
Under the Thai law, he explained that a couple who seek a surrogacy service must receive the consent of a committee tasked with protecting children born as a result.
Only married Thai couples can complete surrogacy in Thailand. At least one spouse must hold Thai nationality and the couple must have been married for at least three years.
The surrogate must have at least one child already and, if she is married, she must get prior consent from her husband.
In order to crack down on commercial assisted reproductive technology, any selling of ova, sperm and embryos is outlawed in Thailand.
Apart from surrogacy, Dr. Sura said that, as the COVID-19 pandemic eases, a number of foreign couples have visited Thailand to receive in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment which, he said, can generate substantial revenue for the country each year, as there are many private and state-run hospitals and clinics providing this service.