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{
    "id": 1071306,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1071306/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 250,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": "Currently, in Kenya, assisted reproduction is not illegal or unlawful, but there is no legal framework. So, what tends to happen is that many couples usually seek medical assistance hence are able to get children, but the children are not recognized legally. They are then forced to go to court for the court to declare their own children as their children. Sometimes it is even complicated especially in cases of surrogacy where one mother carries a child for another woman to term, and then because the surrogate mother has bonded with the child, they change their minds and now want the child as their own. This may actually make the courts have the challenge and problem of dealing with those cases because they are not regulated by any law or regulation. So, it is a freefall where everybody does what they want, for instance, people charge any fees they want and patients can also be abused in the process because there is no legal framework. The High Court requested Parliament to come up with a legal framework to assist in issues of assisted reproductive technology. Therefore, this Bill seeks to fill that void that the court has talked about. As a Christian, I know there may be moral and ethical issues that may be raised. One of the things that I am seeking to do is to address the moral and ethical issues because we cannot bury our sons because the issue of assisted reproductive technology is going on, but it is not regulated. I have read the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, and there is nothing in the Bible that precludes assisted reproductive technology. In the olden days, because we did not have technology, people like Sarah and Abraham decided to use the traditional process and she got a woman for the husband which created conflict. We know of women, for example, Hannah, who cried to the Lord for years because they were not able to have children and God remembered them. We are living in days when our faith may not be as strong as the Hannah’s and the Sarah’s of the Old Testament who could pray until they reach the age of 100 years and have children. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}