By Conor Pope | The Irish Times | June 12, 2020
Oliver James, an Irish citizen living in London, traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, in April to meet his newborn baby born to a surrogate. He has spent 8 weeks trying to get travel documents to return home, but it seems the no one has yet reviewed his paperwork. Without Irish recognition of James as father of the child (established through a paternity test), his funds running low, and risk of becoming homeless, he is desperate for the Irish embassy to help them get home soon.
Russia is considering a ban on surrogacy until a review of the existing law is complete. This article briefly explains the current status of the practice and the direction of future legislation – both of which are heavily influenced by the Russian Orthodox Church, a longstanding voice against all forms of surrogacy and public in its opinion of the practice as a threat to traditional marriage, childbearing, and family formation.