State Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook is pushing a measure that would make it illegal to pay women to be surrogate mothers.
The proposal would also void existing surrogacy contracts.
The Public Health and Welfare Committee met yesterday to begin two days of hearings on the her proposal.
The bill is patterned after a law in the District of Columbia. Pilcher-Cook is concerned that Kansas has no laws dealing with surrogacy contracts; she worries that women are being exploited.
A person who arranges a contract for pay or other compensation would be guilty of a misdemeanor; the person could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $10,000 dollars.
The measure would cover both oral and written surrogacy contracts.
