Insight Bureau: The much awaited bill to regulate and supervise clinics offering fertility treatments and to establish a national registry and registration authority was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.  The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2021, moved by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, envisages prevention of misuse and safe and ethical practice of ART services, and seeks to set minimum standards and code of conduct for fertility clinics and egg or sperm banks.

It provides for penal measures that include fine between Rs 10 and Rs 20 lakh and jail term between eight and 12 years for repeat offenders, including those involved in trafficking and sale of embryos. During the discussion on the Bill, several members like BSP’s Sangeeta Azad, TMC’s Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and NCP’s Supriya Sule raised the issue of exclusion of single male parent and the LGBTQ community and argued that they, too, had the right to become parents. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the bill excludes those who cannot afford this expensive procedure

Speaker Om Birla ruled that since the surrogacy bill is not pending in Lok Sabha, the the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2021, can be taken up and passed by the Lower House.