About surrogacy

 

Surrogacy is a method or agreement whereby a woman agrees to carry a pregnancy for another person or persons, who will become the new-born child's parent(s) after birth.

Intended parents may seek a surrogacy arrangement when either pregnancy is medically impossible, pregnancy risks present an unacceptable danger to the mother's health or is a same sex couple's preferred method of having children. Monetary compensation may or may not be involved in these arrangements. If the surrogate receives money for the surrogacy the arrangement is considered commercial surrogacy, if she receives no compensation beyond reimbursement of medical and other reasonable expenses it is referred to as altruistic. The legality and costs of surrogacy vary widely between jurisdictions, sometimes resulting in interstate or international surrogacy arrangements.

 

In the UK only altruistic surrogacy is permitted. So if you have a mother or  sister or even a friend that are willing to do the process for you, then you are safe. If not, than it is much more difficult and for the most tend to go overseas looking for commercial surrogacy option. This is an even bigger hurdle particularly for homosexual couples where surrogacy is the only option other than adoption. It is important to remember the reality faced by most same sex couples that are still facing social discrimination and also problems of integration and even support of their families. 

Nevertheless, the number of children born via surrogacy has continued to increase despite the high costs and numerous legislative hurdles. The number of parental orders as a result of surrogacy has also risen in recent years and goes some way to show that most surrogacy journeys are currently completed outside the UK.

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Across the globe, surrogacy is mostly forbidden or lacks legislation. There are very few countries that accept commercial surrogacy and now the majority of those countries have recently changed their laws to exclude LGBT families. This not only makes the process more difficult but also reduces the options and obviously increases the price.

 

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Cost and Restrictions

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Some studies have confirmed that the total cost of surrogacy (including egg donation and IVF) for intended parents is $40,000 (including in the UK). Yet, in the USA, the average cost of surrogacy is closer to $120,000 . 

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Within countries where only altruistic surrogacy is permitted, it is common practice to "compensate" the surrogate for their generosity and services. In actual fact, this amount tends to be similar to the amount paid to surrogates in countries were commercial surrogacy is permitted. 

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The demand for medical reproductive treatments is rising and, once combined with all the different legal hurdles and the lack of government support, has created a wide range of experiences from the exploitation of surrogates by unscrupulous clinics at one extreme to stories of successful births in an environment of love, generosity, care and respect between all parties involved at the other.

 

Now many developing countries where the low costs and lack of legal restrictions have made them popular destinations for surrogacy are trying to close down this industry.  This is a consequence of new laws intended to protect surrogates (often poor illiterate women) from exploitation.  However, these tighter rules are simply pushing the industry in to new countries.

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Surrogacy by Country: Checklist

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       USA         Canada          UK           Greece           India           Ukraine         Russia      South Africa       Iran      Cyprus

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