Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Uganda Monitor
Published on 2024-03-05 22:40:15
The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, 2023, recently tabled in Parliament, aims to regulate the use of surrogacy as a form of Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART). Surrogacy involves a woman carrying a child on behalf of another person or couple who are unable to conceive naturally. The bill specifies that only individuals with proven health complications that impede natural reproduction will be eligible for surrogacy services, excluding those who may choose surrogacy for personal reasons.
According to the proposed law, licensed facilities can only offer surrogacy arrangements after a medical examination confirms the inability or difficulty in natural conception or childbearing. The intending parent must have a medical practitioner establish primary or secondary infertility or health challenges affecting their ability to reproduce before opting for surrogacy.
The bill prohibits the contracting of persons under 18 for surrogacy and imposes fines or imprisonment for medical practitioners who violate this rule. Intending parents seeking surrogacy must enter into a written agreement with a surrogate mother, who will not have any parental rights to the child born through surrogacy.
Other forms of ART common in Uganda include IVF and IUI, where eggs are fertilized in a laboratory and implanted in a woman’s womb. The bill aims to protect individuals seeking ART services, providers, and children born through these technologies due to the increasing demand for such services.
The proposed law sets strict regulations for health facilities offering ART services, requiring accreditation by the Minister of Health. Existing facilities have two years to comply with the new law’s requirements. Accredited centers must keep a register of their operations, which may be accessible to the public for a fee, indicating the number of persons using ART services and the outcome of these services.
Confidentiality of users is protected under the bill, with penalties for illegal disclosure of information. The law prohibits medical practitioners from using their own genetic material or non-human genetic material for ART procedures. Donation of gametes is limited to individuals above 18 years, free of genetic diseases as prescribed by the Minister of Health.
Donors must enter an agreement specifying their consent and how their genetic material may be used. The new law is a departure from an earlier proposal that limited ART services to married couples. Dr. Richard Mugahi of the Ministry of Health emphasized the need for a legal framework to regulate ART services in Uganda, given the increasing investment in this area by the government and private sector.
Read the original article on Uganda Monitor
