Laos is the next explosion waiting to happen

Laos is the next explosion waiting to happen

In recent days news has come from Thailand that a man was arrested trying to smuggle vials of sperm into Laos. Apparently the export of sperm form Thailand is prohibited without government approval. And the alleged reason he was trying to do this?

Well the obvious one- it was to enable surrogacy to occur in Laos. Apparently this was his 13th trip across. The sperm is said to have come from Chinese and Vietnamese men and donated  in Bangkok.

Laos has no regulations concerning surrogacy. Recently a maternity hospital was built there- organised by Dr Pisit. Quite simply this is a bomb waiting to go off- just as we saw in Thailand, India, Nepal, Cambodia and Mexico.

This is the same Dr Pisit who was at the centre of the Baby Gammy saga- and the same Dr Pisit who helped a Japanese man have between 13 and 16 children through surrogacy. The same Dr Pisit who was charged by Thai authorities, and then apparently the charges were dropped.

As I said in January, if you are thinking of going to Laos for surrogacy- just as people ended up going to Cambodia and then got stuck- don’t. There are other places to undertake surrogacy- lawfully and safely.

Things to Read, Watch & Listen

NSW Surrogacy FAIL: What Lawyers Got Wrong and How to Avoid It

Surrogacy journeys should be joyous and smooth pathways to parenthood, but unfortunately, legal missteps can turn them into complex, frustrating ordeals.

Jenny’s Bid for Reproductive Freedom

“Jenny” is a single woman living in Western Australia. Five years ago, she decided to do what many single women have done, and freeze her eggs for possible later use.

Monash IVF Mix-Up & Fertility Law Shake-Up in Queensland

In recent months, Queensland has seen two major incidents that have sent ripples through the assisted reproductive technology (ART) community, highlighting the delicate nature of fertility treatments and the urgent need for thoughtful regulation.

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board