Australian Christians Leader, Maryka Groenewald MLC, has today called for the Labor Government’s Surrogacy Reform Bill to be referred to a Parliamentary committee, following her second reading speech in the Legislative Council.
“In my speech, I made it clear that the only responsible way to proceed with this legislation is to send it to committee so that proper scrutiny and adjustments can be made,” said Maryka Groenewald MLC,
“This Bill contains a glaring omission that should alarm every member of Parliament and every Western Australian,
“There are no protections excluding people with serious criminal records, including those convicted of violent or sexual offences, from using surrogacy services,
“That oversight alone is enough to warrant halting this Bill and re-examining it in detail,
“I have no doubt that the overwhelming majority of people who pursue surrogacy are good and decent people who want to give a child a loving home,
“If there is even the slightest possibility that this law could allow a child to fall into the wrong hands, that doubt must be removed beyond all reasonable doubt,
“This Bill also opens the door to de facto commercial surrogacy by allowing a wide and loosely defined list of expenses that can be reimbursed to surrogate mothers,
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“In practice, these so-called reimbursements could easily become substantial financial incentives, turning what should be an act of charity into a profit-driven arrangement,
“This legislation exposes vulnerable women, including girls as young as 18, to exploitation by allowing so-called ‘refunds’ that could make surrogacy extremely financially enticing,
“The risk of exploitation is precisely why commercial surrogacy is banned in the first place, yet this Bill makes it trivially easy to achieve the same outcome by stealth,
“These are not minor drafting issues. They go to the very heart of what kind of society we are building and whether we are willing to draw ethical boundaries around the creation of life,
“The right and responsible thing to do is to refer this Bill to committee, give it the proper scrutiny it deserves, and ensure that the rights, dignity, and safety of both women and children are fully protected,” Groenewald concluded.