University of Amsterdam | June 25, 2026
The Dutch government has asked a panel of researchers to review a draft surrogacy law. The committee recommended that the legislators revisit the draft law’s approach to cross-border surrogacy arrangements, consider additional provisions about the rights of donor-conceived persons regarding their origins, and assign support for intended parents and assessment of serious concerns to separate entities.
International surrogates recruited on social media face emotional control in Georgia’s booming childbirth market, new COMPAS study reveals
COMPAS | June 16, 2026
Intermediaries, including agents and clinic coordinators, play an important role in Georgia’s surrogacy industry, especially when it comes to recruitment of surrogates from Central Asia. New research suggests that intermediaries exert emotional control over surrogates’ living situations, working conditions, and health, in part because surrogates live together in apartments that clinics provide and therefore have limited privacy and mobility.
Central Asian Women Recruited Into Georgia’s Surrogacy Market via Social Media
The Times of Central Asia | June 24, 2026
The same research also shows that Russian-language social media ads recruit surrogates from Central Asia by promoting surrogacy as paid work. Some online recruiters and clinic coordinators were previously surrogates themselves, which can make the process feel less commercial. However, the bulk of the compensation for surrogacy is not provided until after delivery, which can leave surrogates with limited financial power even in the face of poor living conditions or a lack of support.
OC Media | May 28, 2026
A documentary called “9-Month Contract” follows the experience of Zhana, a single mother in the country of Georgia who becomes a surrogate. The film shows how surrogacy is overlooked but also stigmatized in Georgia, even as the industry grows – and increasingly relies on surrogates from Central Asian and African countries.
Times of India | May 27, 2026
Investigations across India have revealed an organized network of medical providers and fertility centers involved with illegal fertility practices. Evidence shows that unregistered clinics and providers working there have exploited economically vulnerable egg donors and surrogates, have not followed proper protocol for medical procedures, and have conducted illegal practices, including the sale of human eggs and child trafficking.
Sofia Bettiza, BBC News | 05.07.2026
Ukraine’s parliament is considering a bill that would establish stricter regulations over the country’s surrogacy industry and would effectively ban surrogacy access for foreigners, who currently make up over 90% of intended parents. The bill, which has widespread support in parliament, is a response to concerns that Ukraine’s surrogacy industry does not address issues of exploitation of surrogates –– a critique that agencies reject.
The Conversation | May 3, 2026
Australia’s Law Reform Commission is deciding whether to allow compensation for surrogates. Some countries have banned compensation given risks of exploitation. Models proposed in the article include payment comparable to other high income countries or a monthly rate standardized across the country. Determining a “fair price” is difficult since surrogacy isn’t comparable to other kinds of labor.
3News | April 28, 2026
Ghana now has statutory recognition of surrogacy, but it still lacks regulation. The current approach to governing surrogacy provides pathways for legal parentage after surrogacy arrangements, but the surrogate’s position remains underdeveloped in the law.
The Conversation | March 26, 2026
New research on Ukrainian surrogates’ experiences in Georgia–following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine–show how surrogates lack strong legal protections and would benefit from clearer and more thorough policy-making on cross-border surrogacy.
February 26, 2026 | KQED
A recent high-profile investigation of a couple involved in surrogacy in California is raising questions about the industry. As the case shows, the lack of federal regulations to govern surrogacy makes it hard to protect surrogates, children born from surrogacy arrangements, and intended parents.
The Wall Street Journal | December 27, 2025
Surrogacy can bring medical complications, but also financial burdens, for surrogates in the U.S. Without regulation, surrogates end up being responsible for medical bills and legal fees that intended parents or surrogacy agencies were supposed to pay.
