PM approves strategy allowing babies born to Cambodian surrogates to exit country

Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen on Monday approved an exit strategy allowing babies born to Cambodian surrogates to leave the country.

This followed nearly six months after the Cambodian Health Ministry banned surrogate pregnancies.

Chou Eng, Secretary of State with the Interior Ministry, confirmed that Samdech had signed off on the strategy, more than a month after it was put forward for his approval.

“Yes, he already dropped (it) back, he approved.

“The strategy will be a temporary measure allowing foreign parents to take their babies born to Cambodian surrogates out of the country,” Chou said.

She said that it will apply to babies already born and to unborn children being carried by Cambodian women.

Dozens of foreign couples have been left in legal limbo, uncertain when or if they might be united with their babies, since the government placed a ban on commercial surrogacy in October.

Chou said the strategy would involve court procedures and cover only existing surrogacy cases.

“We put out this program addressing those who are currently pregnant and those who already gave birth.

“It is a solution for the cases that already exist.

“Parents would have limited time to use the exit strategy,’’ she said.

Chou warned that parents who do not step forward to use the exit strategy would face serious consequences.

“If they try to hide, they have no rights to take the babies out.

“If they tell us, they have the rights, because we want this exit strategy to be able to allow them to take (babies) with them,” she said.