Tag: Surrogates

Georgia’s surrogacy industry is booming, but at what cost?

DW | October 11, 2026

As the ongoing conflict with Russia has upended Ukraine’s surrogacy industry, nearby Georgia has become a surrogacy hub. Many women from nearby countries–including Kazakhstan and Russia–have been recruited to work as surrogates. Experts caution that surrogates lack essential rights in Georgia, including bodily autonomy during pregnancy and guarantees related to contracts, medical care reimbursement, and compensation. They point out that agencies’ priorities are financial interests rather than those of the surrogates, which makes regulation all the more important. 

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Lena Dunham had a baby through surrogacy. This is the emotional reality for women who carry other people’s children

The Independent | September 17, 2026

High-profile cases of celebrities having children via surrogacy have generated critiques of surrogacy as “a luxury option for the rich.” Behind well-publicized cases are more complex debates about surrogacy – whether surrogates should be compensated and how much, how to properly regulate surrogacy, and how to structure contracts. Talking to surrogates themselves reveals a variety of experiences, including religious values, the high percentage of surrogates whose husbands are in the military, and the emotional effects of surrogacy.

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Customers of UK-owned surrogacy firm in Mexico allegedly face huge bills after insurance denied

The Guardian | September 11, 2026

The UK government is looking into complaints about a UK-owned for-profit surrogacy agency operating in Mexico. After a number of medical claims filed by Mexican surrogates were rejected, the intended parents in the UK have had to cover the costs. One government official noted that two couples had reported other disturbing experiences with the company, including mistreatment of the agency staff.

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From research to legislation: assessing the Surrogacy Bill

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. 

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The Role of Intermediaries in Georgia’s Transnational Surrogacy Industry

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.

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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.

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‘A guilty society’ — Ketevan Vashagashvili on breaking taboos through film under Georgian Dream

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. 

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Baby dreams, dark deals: The illegal IVF network spreading across India

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.

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Ukraine war ‘led me to surrogacy’ to earn money but a new law could end those plans

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.

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Should surrogates be paid for carrying other people’s babies? And how much would be enough?

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. 

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Surrogacy in Ghana: Legal parenthood, registration, and the rights of the Surrogate

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. 

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