Australian in Cambodia surrogacy case says she is innocent

An Australian woman charged with providing commercial surrogacy services in Cambodia says she is a physician and has never had any trouble with the law before.

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 Tuesday in orange prison clothes. 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 USD 150,000. Davis-Charles says she is married with six children.