Ukraine surrogacy "trade"

[Douberry]

news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-surrogate-trade-exposed-as-pandemic-leaves-51-babies-stranded-in-kiev-hotel-11988587

I'm sorry but this has made me want to weep. Such a bad situation on so many levels. I really welcome anyone to challenge the notion that commercial surrogacy is truly abhorrent

[CatherineOfAragonsPomegranate]

Does that mean there could be another 500 each month going forward as I assmmue they have women at different stages of pregnancy?

My mind didn't go there but of course this must be the case.

Absolutely awful. The ITV coverage with its emphasis on 'how long' people have 'waited for their babies' is abhorrent.

[softjellycell]

Those Romanian orphans we all read about are now adults and while you might feel sorry for them, I dread to think what their adult behaviour is like.

Yes I'd feel sorry for them because it's through no fault of their own.

[TheProdigalKittensReturn]

Jesus Christ. I watched the video. That is horrific for any baby just for a very short time, let alone for months on end. No primary carer at all, left lying on their backs in an overly-bright noisy roomful of other babies also being left to cry, no comfort, no stimulation, a constant parade of different ‘babysitters’, I can’t bear to think of their utter distress.

And it's being framed as "just waiting for their wonderful life full of love to begin", as if they've been put on pause and aren't already alive and experiencing significant distress right now. As if they're a product so they're not properly activated until their owners switch them on, like they're robots rather than tiny humans. I'm not sure if people frame it that way because they're clueless and empathy free, because it's too painful to acknowledge what's actually happening, or because the narrative of commercial surrogacy has made them feel like admitting what's actually happening and the distress it's causing the babies would be an unfair attack on the people who will eventually be the child's legal parents.

[OhHolyJesus]

Can I urge anyone who finds the media coverage of this biased and incomplete to write a letter of complaint?

A friend of mine has persistently pursued her various letters through to IPSO review. It does work sometimes.

I do find all mainstream media coverage around Surrogacy to be all sweetness and light and honestly I do place blame with them for that view to be held by the general public or posters here. If you only get shown one side you can only see one side.

To complain means someone somewhere who is a journalist or an editor will have a moments thought in their news agenda, I think the surrogate mothers giving birth to these babies deserve at least that.

[FannyCann]

I'd love to know what went on when the Law Commissioners met with representatives from Ukraine as part of their preparation for the consultation.

"Ooh, you can provide a baby for €9000 here? That's wonderful. We must make sure our new laws make it much easier for British baby buyers to obtain passports to bring the babies home and get legal parenthood"
"Thanks. It's been great meeting you"
"You can be assured, there will be plenty of business from the UK at those prices"

[FannyCann]

Here we are, acknowledgements - they had a cosy chat. Honestly what could anyone possibly learn from the Ukraine with respect to new laws other than WE MUST NOT ALLOW OUR CITIZENS TO SUPPORT THIS.

[OhHolyJesus]

I think the video of the newborns in Kiev has made some rethink. It's been positioned days "reassuring parents" but I think it has done wonders actually to show the reality of the level of exploitation, in the Ukraine anyway.


www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/3025949-childrens-ombudsman-proposes-banning-surrogacy-in-ukraine.html

Maybe the law commission should have met with Mykola Kuleba?

"According to him, surrogacy is the exploitation of women in order to earn income by private businesses and meet the needs of adults. However, it violates children's rights."

[WeetabixBananaHipsterFFS]

"Despite healthy baby (and unharmed surrogate) surrogacy experience ‘ruined’ for Israeli couple..."

This is unfair. Right now there are multiple threads going on of women complaining their pregnancy experiences are being ruined by their partners not being allowed at scans. Or their birthing experience being ruined by their partner having to wear a mask and thus not seeing the emotion on their face as the baby comes out.

I think a better comparison would be the more usual response of a mother separated from her newborn; I can’t recall an instance of the mother’s primary concern being the ‘ruin’ of the newborn experience. All sorts of complex thoughts and feelings, but not that.

[NotBadConsidering]

In most cases where the birth experience is not ideal, or at worst, traumatic for everyone involved it’s nearly always due to unforeseen circumstances that no one deliberately aimed for.

In surrogacy, those circumstances are the goal.

[WeetabixBananaHipsterFFS]

Excellent point.

[OhHolyJesus]

In surrogacy, those circumstances are the goal

This.

[ScrimpshawTheSecond]

Thanks for the nod to the Stop Surrogacy Now campaign. Will look into it.

[ChattyLion]

Good thought about the letter writing- always important to copy in your local MP too so they know there is strength of feeling on this issue.
IPSO is the one to write to for print, OFCOM for tv, radio, video on demand, ASA for adverts (including online ads).

[FannyCann]

Thanks Chatty. That itv news item was a disgrace.

[ChattyLion]

In this article from 2019, journalists found 11 babies to have been born via commercial surrogacy in Ukraine and abandoned by their foreign parents: www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-20/ukraines-commercial-surrogacy-industry-leaves-disaster/11417388

[Douberry]

There are a few threads on this across MN...I can't even bring myself to look at the video or pictures of this.

Yes to the PP who said all surrogacy is abhorrent not just commercial. There I said it!

[ChattyLion]

Thanks Douberry

Just seen this in AIBU with the voting button

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3910223-Babies-stranded-in-Ukraine

[FannyCann]

Gosh, I was aware of the case of little Bridget. I must have missed the bit about the number of other abandoned babies out there. So many heartless people out there.
Also I hadn't realised Bridget was a twin, and her parents commissioned another set of twins.
FFS, apart from all the other terrible issues are they idiots? Why do I see so many cases of twins in surrogacy? The best chance of a healthy take home baby is to have a singleton birth, doesn't everyone know that?
So not only appalling people but stupid ones too.

[ChattyLion]

And also another AIBU thread on this:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3908979-To-feel-sorry-for-these-babies?pg=5

Sorry if everyone’s already seen these. I don’t get out much apart from FWR

[TheTiaraManager]

Heartbreaking. Tiny babies need love & cuddles from their Mum. The thought of all those babies in hotels like excess stock makes me feel quite sick

I didn't realise Ukraine was a hotspot for surrogacy

[SiaPR]

If there is one good thing that may come from the coronavirus pandemic it is that this is shining a light on this abusive global baby farming trade.
I wholeheartedly agree.

[SiaPR]

And I agree that all surrogacy is abhorrent.

[Aesopfable]

I expect quite of few of these babies will now be considered ‘damaged goods’ or ‘not as described’ (not being newborns) and will be abandoned.

[softjellycell]

I didn't realise Ukraine was a hotspot for surrogacy

A few years ago it was a common country for people from abroad (often the US) to go and get their babies to adopt, I remember reading about several families who had adopted several babies/toddlers from the Ukraine. One family sticks in my mind as they had one biological child and then adopted 4 children with Down Syndrome from the Ukraine. I wasn't always convinced if it was in the best interests of those children or money.

[OhHolyJesus]

No one has said a word about the mothers Tiara.

This is from CNN and has some frightening numbers so be warned. The BioTexCom guy thinks the video gong virtual is a success as something will now be done

Nothing about the mothers. I wonder if they are all ok.

www.cnn.com/2020/05/15/europe/ukraine-surrogacy-babies-lockdown-intl/index.html