Australian woman in Cambodian court in surrogacy case

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The lawyer for an Australian woman charged with providing commercial surrogacy services in Cambodia says his client is innocent.

Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy last year after becoming a popular destination for would-be parents seeking women to give birth to their children.

Tammy Davis-Charles appeared in court Thursday in orange prison clothes. The trial was postponed to allow victims and witnesses to appear.

Davis-Charles and two Cambodian associates were charged last year with acting as intermediaries between parents and pregnant women and falsifying documents. They face up to two years in prison.

Developing countries are popular for surrogacy because costs are lower than in nations such as the United States and Australia, where surrogate services are around $150,000.

Davis-Charles’ lawyer, Chheang Sophorn, said he hopes the trial will happen quickly.