Law society Surrogacy consultation from 2019 being published

[2Rebecca]

Many of us on the old FWS board contributed to this concerned about the implication of the proposals which restricted the surrogate's rights and moved towards commercialisation. I thought it had died a death due to women's opposition but I got an email today saying they are composing their report and wanted to use my name with some of my comments.

Oh dear. I vaguely remember this- was this where things like putting IP on birth certificate was proposed?

FWR. I'm hopeless at abbreviations

And the surrogate having no ability to change her mind even if her egg I think. Wealthy men using poor women as incubators

Very concerning if rights of women given birth are eroded.

Is this is the consultation that was stacked with men looking to establish their "Handmaids Tale" version of society where they can rent women's bodies and buy babies with impunity?

Yes. Lots of meetings throughout the UK where they were surprised by the opposition of many women. Only men were speaking about it from the Law Society at the meeting I went to. They had a woman taking notes....

I think I may have met you at one of those meeting @2Rebecca !

I also had an email today requesting to quote one of my responses.

As a result I have spent most of this evening rereading the 107 questions and my replies.

It's made me very fed up. At the time I calculated I spent in excess of 100 hours responding to the consultation, what with the 500 page document and 107 questions. I tried to do a bit of research around each question and the document as a whole. Probably didn't count my attendance at two of the public events in that time estimate.

I'm cross because I would give MUCH better answers now, having spent much time since the consultation reading books, articles, Mumsnet discussions, listening to podcasts and watching documentaries. I know so much more now.

And I'm very concerned as this Law Commission report will be presented to MPs, and if the government have appetite for it (I have been hoping it will be kicked into the long grass what with all the other more pressing issues around these days) there may be a bill. And MPs will get to vote having spent about half an hour researching and maybe reading the odd email from a constituent , probably one who wants help to import a baby bought from Ukraine or Mexico. They will be very susceptible to influence from lobbying.

We will need to get cracking petitioning our MPs very quickly.

I think that was the meeting where someone was asking difficult questions about egg donation leading one of the men to fling up his hands and say "we are lawyers not doctors". 🙄

We did indeed meet. One of my answers they want to quote now comes across as a bit tabloidy. I think it was around Q69 and it was probably late and I'd had a gin. I don't really want that to identify me and it is the extreme end of my answers so I think I'll decline