Surrogacy is a medical process of 3rd party reproduction. It is meant for those couples who have major infertility issues and all other forms of artificial reproduction that have failed to succeed. In surrogacy, a woman agrees to transport the pregnancy on behalf of the intended parents, who cannot carry the baby for medical complications and infertility. Surrogacy is primarily of two types; the traditional one and the gestational one. In the former one, the process uses the egg of the surrogate mother and conceives and in the gestational one, the embryo is created in the intended mother’s womb and then transformed.
The Diversity of Surrogacy across the Globe
Surrogacy is legalized and officially accepted in the majority of the nations of the world. Some allow commercial surrogacy that is the surrogate mother gets remunerated for the surrogation while some countries do not allow this. Commercial surrogacy is strictly banned in India so even the best surrogacy clinic in India will allow this process. Some nations welcome foreign intended parents to a surrogate in their countries and some countries like India do not allow this. Many countries do not allow homosexual surrogacy while some countries allow surrogacy for single parents. Surrogacy is very much in practice in India but as per the 2016 Surrogacy Bill, it is only permitted among heterosexual Indian couples. The couple needs to be married for at least 5 years and their infertility issue should be stated by a registered medical expert. There are many surrogacy clinics in Delhi and they practice altruistic surrogacy, which means surrogation without any commercial return. As in India, this is the only form of surrogacy practiced, it is mostly done within close networks and acquaintances.
The Surrogacy Scene in Ukraine
Ukraine also promotes commercial surrogacy since 1997 and since 2002, the country has legalized surrogacy along with egg and sperm donation. As per the country’s law, the surrogacy agencies in Ukraine can only allow this between married heterosexual couples, and no gay couple or single parent can be permitted. In Ukraine, gestation surrogacy is legalized in a court of law that means the surrogate mother cannot be hereditarily associated with the baby and embryos must be generated either by the eggs of the would-be mother or from the egg donor and the sperm of the would-be father. Ukraine allows surrogacy for foreigners with bare minimal legal paperwork. Not only, besides surrogacy; embryo donation, sperm and egg donation are also legalized in Ukraine. Majorly for all these reasons, just like Georgia, Ukraine is also one of the most popular and favourable places for Surrogacy in Europe. It should be highlighted that as per the Ukrainian legislation, the growth of a child by a surrogate mother is only doable if the intended parents are legitimately married. Therefore, they should produce a marriage certificate, that registers their marriage under the Court of Law. In the case of foreign citizens, these papers should be duly authenticated or apostilled in accord with the country’s law and regulations.
Mexico: Where Surrogacy is Legalised since 1997
In Tabasco Mexico, surrogacy is legitimate and allowed since 1997. This is because of an amendment in the state’s civil code. It specified that a child born from a surrogate mother would rightfully belong to the parent who constricted the birth. No more comprehensive guidelines for the Mexican surrogacy procedure were indorsed. But after a few legal complications and hassles, surrogacy in Mexico has been banned for international parents.No surrogacy agencies in Mexico can practice that under any circumstances. The current Mexican law for surrogacy states that a child born by surrogacy would officially belong to the biological parents and not to the surrogate mother. In Cancun, Mexico, surrogacy is even legalized for gay couples and single parents. Perhaps, Cancun is one of the most popular destinations for surrogacy among heterosexual parents, homosexual partners, and single parents. The cost of surrogacy is also less as compared to other states of the US.
Surrogation has helped infertile and childless couples to enjoy parenthood without even adopting a child. It has also popularised the concepts of egg and sperm donation and has streamlined the process. Gone are the days when a childless couple stayed depressed lifelong. Thanks to this medical innovation; surrogacy has brought smiles and hopes to many, suffering from infertility.