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Donor Egg/ Gestational Surrogacy – Arrangement between the intended parents of the child and a woman who agrees to carry the embryo(s) made from the egg(s) of a third party donor (who is often anonymous) and sperm of the intended father. The surrogate carries the embryo/foetus to term as a “host” uterus since there is no biological tie between the surrogate and the embryo/foetus. In this form of surrogacy, the surrogate may also again be called the “gestational carrier.”
Is surrogacy legal?
Surrogacy is legal in the UK. However, no money, other than reasonable expenses are paid to the surrogate. Whilst there is no strict definition to what constitutes reasonable expenses, it is left up to the individuals involved in a surrogate arrangement to come to an agreement regarding these expenses. Any costs incurred by a surrogate that are a result of the pregnancy, would then be regarded as an expense.
Once the child is born a ‘Parent Responsibility Agreement’ can be entered into by the intended father with the surrogate mother, which gives them equal rights over the child, this only applies in certain cases. After six weeks the ‘parents’ can apply for a ‘parental order’ that will give them full and permanent parental rights over the child. At this stage the surrogate relinquishes all her rights over the child.
Why couples do chose surrogacy and not adoption?
Despite recent medical advances in the treatment of infertility there are still many couples for various reasons cannot have a family of their own.
A generation ago adoption was for many, an alternative to a life without children. Due to the social changes of the last thirty years, i.e. the pill, better sex education, changing attitudes to unmarried mothers etc, the number of children available for adoption in Britain has dropped dramatically.
Today the likelihood of a married couple in the UK being able to adopt a baby is becoming increasingly remote.
With many more couples applying to adopt than there are children available for adoption, rigorous adoption criteria have evolved. These can leave would-be parents feeling hurt and mystified as to why they are deemed unsuitable.
In numerous cases, couples spent years and thousands of pounds on unsuccessful medical treatment. As a last resort they apply to adopt, only to be told they are too old.
According to COTS (),2 surrogacy is the only alternative to childlessness.
Who and why do people become surrogates?
Many people think that surrogate mothers only carry the pregnancy for another couple for money. I believe that this is not necessarily true. Although a small number of women would do it purely for the mone6y, many women feel it is their right to help other women who cannot have children.
Do many surrogate mothers keep the baby?
Around 98% of arrangements involving COTS (surrogacy organisation) members have reached successful conclusions. COTS have now had over 437 successful surrogate births up to the end of 2002. These have brought unbounded joy to intended parents and a great deal of satisfaction to surrogates involved.
COTS – Surrogacy organisation
In 1984 surrogacy hit the headlines with the birth of John Dodd, closely followed in 1985 by Baby Cotton. Since that time surrogacy has become more widely accepted and continues to receive much media coverage and publicity.
As a result of these two births, Kim Cotton and Gena Dodd came together and in 1988 they founded COTS. Since that launch, COTS has striven to positively support surrogacy. It has helped, and supported numerous intended parents and surrogates and has shared in the celebration of the following births:
( - COTS and an information booklet called “information on surrogacy” also by COTS.5)
Surrogacy and the media
Surrogacy has been widely publicised by the media over the last number of years. The most recent piece of research was published on the BBC news website ().3
The article is called “surrogacy court battle fails” and it is about a woman who is left infertile at the age of 47 as a result of hospital negligence. This woman, called Margaret Briody tried to claim money to help her find a surrogate in the US because she no longer could have children. The judge ruled against her, even though it was the fault of a doctor that she cannot have anymore children.
That article is available to view on the BBC news website. It is 4
My opinion on surrogacy
I personally am in no doubt at all that surrogacy is a great thing. It brings happiness to couples that cannot have children of their own. For many couples it is the only way to have children. This is a direct result of them being too old to adopt, or just not suitable for adopting.
My main worry about surrogacy would be the impact it would have on the child in years to come. Would the child accept that the person they have been calling ‘mum’ all their life is not really their natural mother or their ‘dad’ not being their natural father?
Also, people who have used COTS as an agency for surrogacy have reported that 2% of all surrogacy’s have ended with the surrogate mother keeping the child. Surely this should not be allowed, and that there should be a law put in place to stop this. Or else more and more couples are going to be used for money, and then at the end of the pregnancy, the surrogate mother would keep the child.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I obtained all my information from the following websites and relevant booklets.
WEBSITES
BOOKLETS
I also received a booklet from a surrogacy agency called COTS. which was called “information on surrogacy” which I found to be very helpful and which gave me a great insight in to the world of surrogacy.
NOTES
TITLE (WEBSITE) DATE ACCESSED
1 - 23.09.04
2 - 29.09.04
3 - 23.09.04
4 - 23.0904
5 – Booklet by COTS “ Information on surrogacy”
