Surrogacy shake up in UK would create uneven treatment for birth mothers

Proposed UK surrogacy law changes raise concerns over unequal treatment of birth mothers Phil Jones/Shutterstock

Surrogacy, where a woman agrees to carry and give birth to a child for another person or couple to raise, is growing in popularity. There aren’t any comprehensive figures on the number of cases (partly because some surrogacy arrangements are made informally) but it’s clear it’s something more and more couples and individuals are considering.

In the UK, surrogacy laws go back to the 1980s – and are long overdue an update. This is why the Law Commission – which keeps the law under review and recommends reform where it’s needed – has proposed changes to the law that aim to make the process smoother and more secure for everyone involved.