❓ Question on Notice regarding health outcomes for surrogate mothers in WA reveals a lack of specific data collection and studies, while highlighting existing informed consent and counselling protocols.
AnsweredQoN 709Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to health outcomes for surrogate mothers, I ask: (a) what is the rate of maternal intensive care admissions for surrogates compared to other pregnant women in Western Australia; (b) how many surrogate pregnancies resulted in maternal death or life-threatening complication; (c) what specific informed consent protocols exist to ensure surrogates are advised of the documented higher health risks; (d) what psychological support is provided to surrogates who experience severe complications; and (e) has the Department conducted any studies comparing health outcomes between surrogates and women carrying genetically related pregnancies?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 November 2025
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health
Response time
8 days
(a)-(b)
This data is not available.
(c)
Informed consent requires that the person consenting is given sufficient information to make an informed decision, this applies across all health care including assisted reproductive technology and surrogacy. Direction 4.1 of the Human Reproductive Technology Directions 2021 requires that prior to the participant giving effective consent to any procedure, the licensee must ensure the person is given oral explanations supported by relevant written material, including “the potential risks, side effects, longer term outcomes, and limitations to current knowledge, for the participants and any child born”. Section 17(c)(i) of the Surrogacy Act 2008 requires that each party to the surrogacy arrangement undertake counselling about the implications of the arrangement that are required by regulations. This counselling includes discussion of the risks associated with the pregnancy.
(d)
The Surrogacy Directions 2022 require that counselling is provided to all parties of a surrogacy at 20 weeks gestation, 34 weeks gestation and within 14 days after miscarriage or birth of a child. Additional referrals for psychological support due to pregnancy complications of a surrogate is managed in the same way as pregnancy complications of any other pregnant woman.
(e)
No.
This data is not available.
(c)
Informed consent requires that the person consenting is given sufficient information to make an informed decision, this applies across all health care including assisted reproductive technology and surrogacy. Direction 4.1 of the Human Reproductive Technology Directions 2021 requires that prior to the participant giving effective consent to any procedure, the licensee must ensure the person is given oral explanations supported by relevant written material, including “the potential risks, side effects, longer term outcomes, and limitations to current knowledge, for the participants and any child born”. Section 17(c)(i) of the Surrogacy Act 2008 requires that each party to the surrogacy arrangement undertake counselling about the implications of the arrangement that are required by regulations. This counselling includes discussion of the risks associated with the pregnancy.
(d)
The Surrogacy Directions 2022 require that counselling is provided to all parties of a surrogacy at 20 weeks gestation, 34 weeks gestation and within 14 days after miscarriage or birth of a child. Additional referrals for psychological support due to pregnancy complications of a surrogate is managed in the same way as pregnancy complications of any other pregnant woman.
(e)
No.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.