An official from the Ministry of Health (MOH) stressed on Tuesday that surrogate motherhood remains banned in China.

While responding to questions on surrogate motherhood from the public and press, the official said, "The MOH has ordered related institutions to conduct research on assisted reproductive technology (ART) regulations and invited experts on medicine, law, ethics and sociology to discuss surrogate motherhood and related topics."

According to the official, most of the experts think that surrogate motherhood will bring serious legal, ethical and social problems, which will disturb the ethical order of society and may cause physical or psychological harm to surrogate mothers and their children.

In 2001, the MOH issued a regulation stipulating that any practice of surrogate mother is strictly banned.

In order to reduce ART abuse, the MOH and the health department of the People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department jointly launched a campaign to crack down on the practice on February 5.

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2013)