Legal Restrictions on and Impediments to Enforcement of Protection of a Child Born by Medically Assisted Reproductive Technology Act B.E. 2558

Abstract

This article aims to study the restrictions and impediments on the protection of children born through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) in Thailand. There are limitations on the rights of individuals to obtain services and impediments in assisted reproductive technology in order to achieve the objectives of creating a family for a person experiencing infertility.

The results have found that currently, the law on the protection of born children through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), the aforementioned law provided that it has limited the right of individuals who are infertile and would like to have children through the use of Assisted Reproductive Technology, it can only be used by legal spouses. Moreover, in the case of the legal spouses that one of them does not have Thai nationality, their marriage shall have been registered for not less than 3 years. Furthermore, there is a legal impediment in choosing the gender of children who may take risk for genetically transmitted diseases that leads to inequality and discrimination which reproductive technology does not comply with international standards clearly by the constitution in every country. However, this study suggests a guideline for Thai society to provide the amended provision related to legal limitations and obstacles to the Assisted Reproductive Technology in order to ensure maximum benefits for children born by Assisted Reproductive Technology. In addition, to make the measures for Assisted Reproductive Technology to be beneficial and proper with basic respect for the right of individuals.