Indian Teen Allegedly Forced by Mother and Step-Father to Sell Her Eggs to Fertility Clinics

Tamil Nadu state Health Minister Ma. Subramanian has taken cognisance of the matter and formed a committee with experts from the medical services to probe the allegations.

A 16-year-old girl in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu was allegedly forced to donate her oocytes to private fertility clinics on several occasions, prompting the police to arrest her mother, Soumiya, stepfather, Syed Ali, and middleman Malathi.

On Friday, police summoned the owners of two clinics where she had allegedly donated eggs.

On 4 June, the stepfather and mother of the victim girl were arrested after the minor fled her home due to depression and reached a relative's place, where she revealed what she had gone through.

The relative then filed an official complaint under the Protection of Children and Sexual Offence (POSCO) Act against her parents.

Speaking with Sputnik, the state's Erode District Police Inspector P. Vijaya said: "The official complaint was lodged on 2 June, following which we started investigation".

"The accused has [forged the minor's] document, changing her age to 20. The victim was forced to donate her eggs about eight times, also, her stepfather raped her on multiple occasions. Her mother was aware of everything", he added.

Malathi would arrange fertility centres, and the parents would get a commission of INR 20,000 ($257), while he would get INR 5,000 ($64) for every sale, according to Vijaya.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said that if doctors and private clinics were found to have been involved, they would face strict action, including cancellation of their licences.

Talking to Sputnik, Dr Mona Shroff, a fertility physician, said: "In January 2022, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act was enacted. Which clearly said that in order to donate eggs, the woman has to be married and have her own children".

The assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act 2021 aims to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics and banks and prevent misuse.

According to Dr Shroff, no woman, other than an ever-married woman having a child of her own and between the age of 25 to 35 on the day of implantation, "shall be a surrogate mother or help in surrogacy by donating her egg or oocyte or otherwise".

"So in this case, even if they faked the age, they couldn't have faked the motherhood, this seems to be a bigger scam", she said.

Dr Shroff also said that even during egg donation procedures, the clinic or hospital has to file an affidavit with the donor's concern that she has not donated eggs more than six times.

The law clearly states that a donor can donate eggs only six times in her lifetime. However, this information needs to be voluntarily disclosed by the donor.