See article below, and extract from it with the key facts. This is abhorrent. This child was bought. There really is no other way to look at this. He was conceived for a 69yo man, whose sperm was used along with donor eggs from an unknown American woman, and a woman of presumably similar age, who paid another woman to go through the pregnancy and birth. The couple could never reasonably have expected to see this child to live to adulthood, and in fact the commissioning mother has already died. A couple of this age would not be allowed to adopt a child in the UK because in law the child's welfare comes first (rightly). The use of surrogacy puts a coach and horses through that. It ought to be banned in every country of the world, as it is in fact in a great many, but I'm not holding my breath on the US seeing sense in this area any times soon.
I don't see what else the court could have done here, given that the damage was already done. Poor little boy.
Edinburgh sheriff grants parental order recognising 72-year-old man and late wife as parents of three-year-old boy | Scottish Legal News
On 21 August 2020, A was born in the State of Oklahoma. The first petitioner’s gametes were used to bring about the creation of the embryo of the child along with the gametes of an American donor, with the surrogate who carried the child and her husband consenting to the making of the order. The State of Oklahoma issued a birth certificate on 2 October 2020 recording the petitioners as the child’s mother and father.
Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, the first petitioner was unable to travel to the USA until July 2021, while the second petitioner’s health prevented her travel altogether. During the intervening period, A was cared for by a professional nanny, who agreed to act as A’s guardian in the event that the first petitioner died before A turned 18. A decision was made by the first petitioner not to apply for an order as a single parent, necessitating a guardianship order in respect of the second petitioner. This was granted by Dundee Sheriff Court in May 2023.
A was brought to Scotland by the first petitioner in August 2021. He visited the second petitioner in her nursing home three times a week for 21 months and recognised her as his mother. The first petitioner, while outwith the normal accepted range of parenthood, was described as active and energetic, and had enrolled A in nursery and researched boarding schools for his secondary education.
It was submitted that it was better for A that a parental order be granted than no order be made at all. ...