article_snippet.sent: A top justice judge has said that Australian women should have the choice to be paid to be a surrogate mother.
article_snippet.sent: Speaking at the University of Queensland in Brisbane on Friday night, Justice Diana Bryant told a room full of journalists that surrogacy laws currently in place need a major overhaul to prevent cases of abandonment.
article_snippet.sent: Justice Diana Bryant said Justice Diana Bryant believes that because commercial surrogacy is banned in Australia, hopeful parents are forced to enter into unlawful arrangements overseas.
article_snippet.sent: A top judge in Brisbane has said that surrogacy laws need to be overhauled to prevent a repeat of the baby Gammy (pictured with A top judge in Brisbane mother) case . '
article_snippet.sent: I personally think we should regulate and allow commercial surrogacy in Australia,' Justice Diana Bryant said. '
article_snippet.sent: Justice Diana Bryant statement is backed up by a recent bout of child abandonment cases, where parents have  refused to carry through with overseas surrogacy deals.
article_snippet.sent: Justice Diana Bryant (pictured) has spoken out about Australia's surrogacy laws .
article_snippet.sent: Following these cases the Governmentpassed a law criminalising surrogacy and prohibiting foreigners from seeking surrogacy services.
article_snippet.sent: The law, which prohibits the act of hiring women commercially to carry foetuses to term, aims to stop Thailand from being a surrogacy hub for foreign couples.
article_snippet.sent: Currently in Australia, it is illegal for women to act as surrogates, except in the Northern Territory where there are no laws in place to stop the act.
article_snippet.sent: In NSW, ACT and Queensland, arranging a contracted surrogacy overseas is also considered a criminal offence.
article_snippet.sent: I think the Government could eliminate some of the worst aspects of international surrogacy by devising some ethical requirements that need to be met before intending parents are permitted to bring a child back into Australia,' Justice Bryant said.
article_snippet.sent: Justice Bryant also said Australian surrogacy should be legalised as many of the children who are currently born to surrogates overseas will never get the chance to meet the children who are currently born to surrogates overseas biological mothers. '
highlights_snippet.sent: Top judge said Australian commercial surrogacy needs to be legalised .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: Justice Diana Bryant said current surrogacy laws need to be scrutinised .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: Justice Diana Bryant believes current surrogacy laws will stop abandonment cases like that of baby Gammy .
  