Portugal: Parliament approves new law authorising surrogacy in country

The Portuguese parliament has adopted a law allowing for surrogacy on Friday, which received a lot of praises from The National Council for Medically Assisted Procreation and the Portuguese Society for Reproductive Medicine, as per the reports of Xinhua. The law allows commercial arrangements in which a woman is hired to become pregnant and give birth to a child who would be delivered to others. 

The legislation also said that the pregnant lady for hire must already be a mother. The contract will also need to be approved by the National Council for Medically Assisted Procreation, which is a Portuguese body that oversees the entire process. The legislation stipulates that the pregnant lady hired to carry the child may keep the baby until the child's registration, which must occur within 20 days of birth, according to Xinhua. This restriction was added in response to a request from the Portuguese Constitutional Court, which had previously rejected a plan.

Gestational surrogacy became authorised on August 22, 2016

Earlier, in Portugal, gestational surrogacy became authorised on August 22, 2016, and ultimately came into force on August 1, 2017, following a year of regulation, according to Babygest. However, the statute was taken to the Supreme Court in 2018 and was declared unconstitutional until November 2021.

In the meanwhile, new regulations in Portugal have made it illegal for managers to contact employees outside of working hours. Portugal's new labour regulations were passed earlier this month in response to an increase in people working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Workers should have the right to at least 11 straight hours of night rest, which should not be interrupted unless for emergencies, according to Xinhua.

Portuguese parliament approved the legality of euthanasia

Earlier this year, with 136 votes in favour and 78 votes against, the Portuguese parliament approved the legality of euthanasia practised or assisted by health professionals on January 29 which allows a person over the age of 18 to be medically assisted in death. According to Politico, however, the initial bill was halted by judges in March because it was too vague. But for the second time this year, Portugal's parliament voted for euthanasia legalisation on November 5.

Image: Unsplash/@the_heaven_girl, AP