The Centre's bill prohibiting commercial surrogacy has evoked a mixed response, with some welcoming it while others raising doubts over its efficacy. The Lok Sabha had last month passed the bill that bars commercial surrogacy and allows the process only by close relatives for 'altruistic' reasons.

Surrogacy refers to a contract whereby a woman carries a pregnancy and gives birth to a child for another person or another couple, who will ultimately be the baby's parent(s). National Commission for Women's former member Nirmala Samant Prabhawalkar said the bill has been brought to regulate the "uncontrolled" practice of surrogacy, but it still has some "grey areas".