NGA has been quoted in a piece in The Times newspaper about a British couple’s surrogacy journey in Ukraine. The piece highlights their experience and the change in support provided by the UK’s Foreign Office and Home Office following their decision to withdraw the emergency travel document scheme in 2022 which previously allowed babies born through surrogacy in Ukraine to be brought home swiftly following their birth.
We were quoted in the piece about the UK legal position on surrogacy alongside the implications of the decision to withdraw the emergency travel document scheme for surrogate babies:
“Natalie Gamble, a solicitor at NGA Law, a specialist reproduction firm, said Ukraine had been a popular choice for British parents before the Russian invasion because of its clear surrogacy laws and established agencies. In contrast, the “murky and fudged” UK law initially treats the surrogate and her spouse as parents, making everyone nervous, she said.”
The article continues to explain the couple’s own fertility journey and exploration of surrogacy in the UK before choosing to proceed with their journey in Ukraine and establishing a successful pregnancy. It continues:
“They had been led to believe that the government was being very helpful, having introduced the emergency document scheme in 2022 to allow surrogate babies to be brought immediately home from the war zone.
But the scheme was withdrawn in August, presumably to deter any would-be parents from engaging in surrogacy there. At the time, NGA Law warned that it was a devastating blow for the small number of parents who had committed to surrogacy in Ukraine before the outbreak of the war.
Gamble says: “These British babies deserve protection in the same way that other children were protected when the war started. I understand that the government wants to discourage people, but they are not allowing newborn babies to be quickly removed from a war zone. It’s not right.
“It’s important people understand that for women like Fliss, these are really difficult choices.
“The law does not support surrogacy properly in the UK and it is driving parents overseas. It’s a shame that the government doesn’t take responsibility for dealing with the consequences of that.”
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