QLD surrogacy barrier removed

Queensland has become the last Australian state to decriminalise altruistic surrogacy.
The change of law was passed after a 17 hour debate and rare government conscience vote in the QLD parliament on Thursday night.
Under the reforms, which extend to same-sex couples, legal parentage of a child born in surrogacy agreements will transfer from the birth mother to the parent or parents who commissioned the birth.
An opposition bill that would have kept surrogacy for same-sex couples was defeated in the same debate.
Labor MPs Michael Choi and Margaret Keech spoke against the bill, stating their belief children benefited most from having a man and woman as parents.