Committee looks at legal implications of surrogacy

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A WA Upper House committee says laws to give genetic parents legal custody of children born to surrogate mothers will be a huge breakthrough.

Although surrogate births are legal, there is currently no legislation governing custody issues involving surrogate and genetic parents.

The Standing Committee has backed a Government bill for the genetic parents of surrogate children to be legally recognised as their children's parents.

Committee Chairman Graham Giffard says surrogate births are increasingly common and parents need legal recognition.

"For the courts and therefore the law to recognise that they are the parents of that child, that's a huge breakthrough, you know there are examples of people having to go interstate and enter into arrangements but of course at law they weren't the actual parents of the child," he said.