Bollywood celebs stand divided on Surrogacy Bill

When Tusshar welcomed a baby boy born via IVF and surrogacy last June the unmarried actor was unanimously applauded by Bollywood folk on the bold move Experts also commented how the instance would give courage to many others to opt for assisted reproduction But dealing a blow to the aspirations of wannabe parents the Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the Surrogacy Regulation Bill that seeks to replace commercial surrogacy The new legislation arguably denies the right to surrogacy to single people livein partners homosexuals and even married couples who have coparented biological or adopted children earlierAlso readDid Sushma Swaraj taunt Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan for opting surrogacy for fashionKiran Rao and Aamir Khan with son Azad PicPTITwo weeks ago Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao attended a special event to spread awareness about IVF and surrogacy where the star said When I had Junaid son from ex wife Reena Dutta it just changed my life There are so many couples mdash even single people mdash who are unable to have children The fact that someone is able give this joy to so many people is really wonderful Its really changed the lives of many peopleBirth of a controversy Debate on surrogacy engages nationJeetendra with Tusshars below newborn LaksshyaKiran on her part had stressed how she felt complete after their son Azad was bornBut now the government is in the process of drafting a new law allowing altruistic surrogacy for childless couples married for at least five years The Bill also asserts that the surrogate mother should be a close relative of the couple married and have borne a child of her own earlierAlso readCabinet adopts bill to abort commercial surrogacyWith celeb couples who opted for surrogacy staying mum the industry stays divided in their opinion on the Bill Referring to her 2002 film Filhaal director Meghna Gulzar tweeted Reva Tabu Sia Sushmita Sen What you did then is now illegal You dont have the option anymoreWhile Tusshar refused to comment filmmaker Farah Khan said I feel I havent gone in for surrogacy You should speak to people who have actually got it doneSplit down the middleOnir filmmakerPersonally if I ever want a child I would go for adoption But that is my choice The Government is talking about how surrogacy is against our ethics What ethics are we talking about I find the tone of the Bill extremely regressive Exclusion of large sections of people is unjustified This kind of discrimination goes against the basic ethos of democracy To be a mother why should anyone have to be married The Government is overstepping the linePrasoon Joshi lyricistWhen surrogacy is a product of only human genetic greed and breeds exploitation it is deeply saddening It is time we soulsearch and improve our current practicesSona Mohapatra singerI hail the governments move towards creating a regulatory structure for surrogate parenting and banning commercial surrogacy The current free for all scenario has made India a global centre for the baby business and is another means to exploit women and treat them as babymaking machines These regulatory measures will hopefully help separate genuine cases from profitdriven venturesVishal Dadlani music composerNothing to say except that Im not surprised We are living in a bit of a tinpot dictatorship where the government seems to be constantly seeking to monitor and control peoples personal lives Should surrogacy be destigmatised and regularised Yes Should the government have any other say in it Absolutely not Should anyone have the right to comment on how and why other peoplehave children Absolutely utterly completely notAnushka Manchanda singerA ban is harsh and in a country like ours it will not stop this operation but instead make it even worse for the people involved because theres a big chance of it continuing illegally If strict rules were implemented so that women were not exploited and given health benefits and medical security it would be a winwin for everyonemdashAs told to Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari and Mohar Basu