Mexican gov’t puts restrictions on surrogacy in state of Tabasco

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The Mexican state of Tabasco is one of the leading places for surrogacy - the process where a woman agrees to carry a pregnancy and give birth to a baby for another person.

But new restrictions barring surrogate mothers from bearing children for foreigners are limiting this once lucrative practice.

Tabasco and Sinaloa are the last remaining states in Mexico that legally permit young women to, as some critics refer to, “rent out their wombs” to infertile couples.

A newborn baby with a surrogate mother who carried the baby for a gay male couple. The baby was born in the Mexican state of Tabasco on January 6, 2015. /CFP Photo

It’s a lucrative business today, and it’s not just Mexicans who are interested. Tabasco attracts international surrogacy tourists from across the world, in particular same sex partnerships from the United States and Europe.

However, the commercial practice has come under fire from state lawmakers. They claim the practice exploits young women with the promise of vast amounts of money, and forces them to part with the newborn child at the end of the process.

Last year, new restrictions were passed that outlawed foreigners, gay couples and third party agencies from hiring surrogate mothers.

Gynecologist Dr. Raul Cabra said the new regulations will only end up moving practices underground, increasing the risk to both clients and surrogates.

Gynecologist Dr. Raul Cabra talks to CGTN.

“There has been a far greater demand for surrogate mothers. Before, women would get pregnant around the age of 20 or 22 years old. Now they are having their first child as late as 37. Those 17 years of difference has only contributed to the fertility problem,” Dr. Cabra said.

There have been instances when seeking parents have been forced to pay more than previously agreed due to the gray legal area.

Despite these concerns shared by many in Mexico, demand for surrogates remains high, and Tabasco lawmakers may find themselves waging an uphill battle.

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