Bill proposing tough rules on invitro fertilisation to be tabled in House on Tuesday

The Invitro Fertilisation Bill, which seeks to regulate the practice of test tube technology, will be tabled in the National Assembly this morning.

The Bill by Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo seeks to create a law that will protect the rights of test-tube babies and their mothers. It also proposes tough regulations to discourage invitro fertilisation for speculative purposes.

"A person qualifies to undertake in vitro fertilisation where it is certified by a medical doctor that the person cannot conceive naturally due to age and lifestyle," reads the Bill.

The Bill will be introduced in the National Assembly as the number of women seeking to have babies by means other than the natural methods continues to increase.

The Bill will be tabled in the House at a time the Senate is debating the Reproductive Health Bill.

negates surrogacy

The Bill by Senator Judith Sijeny negates a surrogate parenthood agreement in cases where a partner to a consenting adult is not privy to or has not consented to the procedure.

"Where a commissioning parent is married or involved in a permanent relationship, the agreement shall not be valid unless the husband, wife or partner of the commissioning parent has given his or her written consent to the agreement and has become part to the agreement," says the Bill.

The two Bills on surrogacy will increase the number of family Bills that have been tabled before the two Houses since they were constituted after last year's elections.

Other family Bills that have been discussed by Parliament include the Marriage Bill, the Matrimonial Property Bill and the Domestic Violence Bill. Odhiambo's Bill also creates an authority whose role, among others, will be to establish a register of all test tube babies.

This is expected to assist such people access information relating to their parentage.