While the will of many seems to support change, it has been a long and frustrating road for West Australians waiting for a modern-day reboot of our surrogacy laws.
Despite several government-commissioned reviews and reports, it looks like the chance of having a family will not be found gift-wrapped under the Christmas tree for some people.
As we approach the end the year, this month’s Fertility and Sexual Health edition explores the pressing need for contemporary surrogacy laws in WA that would allow gay people and single men to access the path to parenthood.
We live in a world that has changed and now accepts far more diversity than might have been anticipated in the setting of the early 2000s when surrogacy laws were first drawn up.
WA remains the only state or territory where surrogacy is illegal for gay couples and single men – with access limited to single women or opposite sex couples where the woman cannot conceive due to medical reasons.
We live in a world that has changed and now accepts far more diversity than might have been anticipated in the setting of the early 2000s when surrogacy laws were first drawn up.
A bill to widen eligibility made its way through State Parliament in 2019 but failed to proceed through the Upper House and is still languishing.
Even Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson concedes the current laws are discriminatory and out of step, while fertility clinics say their hands are tied and they have people who are desperate and running out of time.
Let’s hope the slow wheels of government get some traction in 2025.
Merry Christmas to all our readers, and we look forward to reconnecting after a safe and happy Christmas and New Year break.