Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Health Committee have rejected the Uganda Human Rights Commission’s proposal to allow all women, regardless of fertility status, to access surrogacy services, arguing that this would give women too much freedom, causing them to hire other women to carry their babies because they do not want to spoil their figures due to the bodily changes that come with pregnancy.
The protest was led by Joseph Ruyonga, the Chairperson of Parliament’s Health Committee, a medical doctor by profession, on October 3, 2024, during the consideration of the Human-Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill 2023, at parliament.
“Women nowadays don’t want to distort their figures; they may end up abusing this freedom because they have money. They may end up misusing this because it is readily and gladly given; they have their money, but they do not want to distort their figures,” Ruyonga said.
He further reduced his argument to sexuality, wondering how opening up surrogacy to all women will ensure that lesbians don’t take advantage of the provisions after a law was just passed prohibiting it in Uganda.
Kenny Auma, the Kwania district Woman Representative (DWR), also rejected the proposal by the Uganda Human Rights Commission, noting that there are mothers who are capable of giving birth naturally, but instead of that, they would wish to have other means of giving birth, hence proposing that surrogacy be restricted to only women diagnosed with fertility challenges.
Ruth Ssekindi, the Director of Monitoring and Inspection at the Uganda Human Rights Commission, had proposed to have surrogacy services opened up to all adult Ugandans.
“All natural women, regardless of their natural ability to give birth, should be given the option to contract surrogate services if they so wish,” she noted.
In March 2024, Sarah Opendi (DWR Tororo) tabled the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, 2023, citing the need for Uganda to regulate the fertility industry that had recorded an increase in the number of people opting for human assisted reproductive technology through various fertility solutions, including the use of In Vitro Fertilisation treatment, commonly known as “IVF” surrogacy, but there was no law to regulate the sector.
In Clause 21 of the Bill, Sarah Opendi proposed conditions upon which individuals can be allowed to use fertility services, including if (a) the intending parent suffers primary or secondary infertility; or (b) the intending parent suffers health challenges that affect the intending parent’s ability to reproduce.
