Allowed or banned? A look at commercial surrogacy laws around the world
Commercial surrogacy allowed
In the United States, Surrogacy is not regulated by the federal government. However, some states allow for commercial surrogacy contracts.
Colombia officially allows commercial surrogacy and the constitutional court acknowledges it, yet there are some rules around it. Recently, a lawmaker in the lower house of Colombia's legislature even suggested a bill that he believes will protect surrogates, prospective parents and children.
Surrogacy banned
Many European nations ban surrogacy in all its forms. The list of nations include Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Taiwan and Spain.
Only commercial surrogacy banned
Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Brazil, Britain and Australia have a ban on for-profit surrogacy or commercial surrogacy. However, they all allow some forms of altruistic surrogacy.
In Thailand, until 2015, for-profit surrogacy was on the rise until a number of publicised cases, including one involving an Australian pair who were charged with neglecting a baby with Down's syndrome, led to foreigners being forbidden from participating in it.
Surrogacy hub: Georgia
Georgia is a popular spot for fertility tourism, but the law only permits commercial surrogacy to heterosexual couples, and the law doesn't recognise the surrogate mother as the child's parent.
Ukraine: International surrogacy hub of the past
Until the Russian invasion, Ukraine, as per Reuters, used to be an international surrogacy hub. According to some estimates, thousands of surrogate babies were born in the nation each year, many of them which belonged to foreigners who visited the nation for its surrogate mothers.
However, when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, these babies were left in a lurch. While some foreign couples travelled to the war-torn nation to collect their children, others were left to be cared for in a makeshift clinic by nurses.
Russia: Allowed but frowned upon
Russia currently allows surrogacy, although it has been condemned by faith-based organisations who view it as a way to make money on or commercialising of the birth of children.
However, in December 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin put into place a law that forbids foreigners from taking advantage of Russian surrogate mothers.
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