A shortage of surrogates in the UK is driving childless couples who want a baby abroad, with sometimes fraught consequences for the parents and child.
Almost two-thirds of all UK parental orders – legal rights conferred on parents who have commissioned a child from a surrogate – are now for a baby born overseas. In the past three years, more than 1,000 UK couples and individuals have secured the services of surrogates abroad, the highest number from any European country.
The figures have been highlighted by the awareness campaign group, Families Through Surrogacy (FTS), which is organising a conference in London on 5 March to help people to make informed choices about what it says is a complex, costly and ever-changing issue.