Sharing some stories/cases of single men having surrogate babies. (My understanding is, and I'm no expert, that for parental orders there needs to be a genetic connection between the applicant and the baby, otherwise it needs to be an adoption order. The restrictions on POs only applying to couples was lifted in Dec 2018. The report here:
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8076/#fullreport)
Another UK case back in 2016 (prior to the above) with representation from Natalie Gamble...Single Man is biological father to a baby born from surrogate mother ('mother' is mentioned once)
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2016/1191.html
UK Single Man has his mother give birth to his child - his father adopted him but the mother was his biological mother and the baby was conceived using an egg donor. Essentially the court saw them as sibling, having the same mother and father (though not quite the same biology of course but the same legal parents.)
"A child (A) had been born to a woman (C) and her husband (D) as part of a surrogacy arrangement with a single man (B). B was the son of C and adopted son of D. B was a 26 year old single homosexual male who lived alone. B had wanted to start a family and a female relative had agreed to be a surrogate but had withdrawn due to medical reasons. C, with the support of D, offered to be a surrogate for her son. C, D and B received individual and group counselling and attended a clinic licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) where an embryo created with a donor egg and B’s sperm was implanted into C. A lived with B from birth and B made an application for an adoption order on the day A was born with the consent of C and D.
THE JUDGEMENT
"Theis, J granted the adoption order but noted that except for the close family relationship B, C and D would have been guilty of an offence under s.93 of the 2002 Act. The court’s judgement included advice to single people seeking a child through a surrogacy arrangement to ensure they sought substantial legal advice before embarking on that route to parenthood. In coming to a decision the court had the welfare of the child as its paramount consideration."
This single man has been called selfish by his friends...
“I faced so many heartbreaks along the way (including failed embryo transfers, miscarriages and a stillborn birth) that sometimes I just wanted to give up. And I definitely didn’t anticipate that I would work with a total of six surrogate moms.”
www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/became-single-dad-surrogacy-friends-050033936.html
The only case I can find so far of a single woman doing this is where she became a widow, the husband died during the Surrogate Mother's pregnancy. It wasn't her egg so she didn't have a genetic connection. The judge granted her parental responsibility and the surrogate mother supported this.
Lastly, I share this as it is relevant. The husband and wife divorce, after a whirlwind romance/marriage/surrogacy arrangements x 2 - the divorce is finalise the same month the surrogate mother gives birth:
"X and Y married in 2016 and within a matter of weeks went to the Ukraine where they joined the 'Victoria Vita Surrogacy programme', which offered a fixed price for unlimited embryo transfers. For reasons which are not clear the written agreement entered into has not been part of the papers in these proceedings. According to X this agreement included terms that permitted the clinic to sign on Y's behalf. X reports they chose an egg donor and embryos were created using the donated eggs and Y's gametes. A surrogate was selected, and an agreement signed in June 2016. The subsequent embryo transfer was successful, she was carrying twins. Unfortunately, the surrogate first miscarried one child and then, later, the second. Before the second miscarriage, X had sought further IVF treatment in the Ukraine, which was also unsuccessful. During the course of that treatment, the applicant met the respondent surrogate mother, Z. Following the first surrogate's second miscarriage a further surrogacy arrangement was entered into with Z on 9 December 2016 and embryos were transferred to Z on the same day. This agreement is in the papers with what X states are the signature of the agency on behalf of Y. The pregnancy was confirmed in December 2016."