Over the last month or so I have read online about...
A woman who has a brain injury
A woman who lost the baby and had a hysterectomy
A woman who died almost immediately after the baby was born
All of these women are UK surrogate mothers and it shocks me that surrogacy is still viewed as this harmless alternative method to having a family.
Mumsnetters can view my posting history to see how this subject sparked my interest but as a quick recap, the Law Commissions of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission jointly make these following legal changes in the draft Bill which:
- reduces the time a mother has to change her mind
*removes the need for Family Court and CAFCASS oversight for surrogacy arrangements on a new “pathway” (likely to be all domestic cases conducted through agencies, at least hundreds of cases per year)
*takes away a mother’s parental rights at birth and does not seek her consent again at or after birth,
*recommends surrogate mothers not be listed on the birth certificates of their own children
*allows open advertising for surrogate mothers for the first time; a significant risk to low income and working-class women and a recommendation the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has expressed concerns over
- the surrogate mothers would still be able to use their own egg in the pregnancy, meaning at the point of handover the child is being handed away from their own genetic mother, outside of adoption frameworks, local authority and judicial oversight
*women are not required to have had their own children, and a minimum age of just 21 has been suggested for surrogate mothers, and 18 for commissioning parents.
You can email your MP using this quick and easy template from Surrogacy Concern.
surrogacyconcern.uk/take-action-send-a-letter-to-your-mp-on-surrogacy-and-law-commission-proposals/