The Telegraph has quoted NGA in a piece about surrogacy. Interviewing Natalie Gamble, together with surrogate Sarah Jones from Surrogacy UK and anti-surrogacy campaigner Helen Gibson, Miranda Levy for the Telegraph looks at the current debate around surrogacy law reform. Natalie is quoted:
“When it’s done well, surrogacy is overwhelmingly positive and an incredible collaboration. The children are so wanted, and evidence suggests they thrive long-term… We recently received a picture of a family Christmas from a couple who’d had dozens of rounds of failed IVF before turning to surrogacy. The whole wider family was smiling at the camera – the six-month-old baby at the centre laughing in his high chair,” she says. “What people don’t realise is that surrogacy creates not just parents, but also grandparents and aunts and uncles. If it wasn’t for surrogacy, this happy family would not exist.”
Natalie also talked about why UK law needs to change:
At present, UK law states that the surrogate woman is the mother, and then there is a subsequent process to transfer legal parenthood to the intended parents. “It’s not enforceable and it’s based on trust,” says Gamble. “The uncertainties make everyone anxious – not just the intended parents”.
Gamble says there needs to be a mechanism for intended parents to become legal parents at birth – as happens in the US. “In America, there’s a contract. It’s more transparent. But over here, problems arise, for example, if a couple has a baby in the US and it’s recognised over there but not in the UK – children can be stuck abroad. “Yes, there is some concerning practice overseas, particularly in places where surrogacy is new or unregulated,” she says. “The answer is to allow it to be done safely at home. We need sensible steps to make sure everyone is protected. We need a better structure, which includes counselling and legal advice. There should be informed consent so neither side takes advantage.”
Gamble understands the theoretical concerns surrounding surrogacy, but that most critics have little direct experience of it. “When the process is managed responsibly, surrogates tend to be very clear they want to do it – they have agency and find it rewarding,” she says. “Those who talk about babies being ripped from their mothers and causing trauma are taking nonsense.”
You can read the full article (behind a paywall) here: ‘The whole thing is a scandal’: The looming war over surrogacy.
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