Surrogacy laws do not meet the needs of modern families, a lawyer has warned 

Surrogacy laws do not meet the needs of modern families, a lawyer has warned, following increased demand for surrogacy during covid-19. 

Victoria Maxwell, a family law specialist at Bishop & Sewell said that the UK’s surrogacy laws, which date back more than 30 years, are “woefully out of date”.

The Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985, supplemented by provisions under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (2008), is controversial.

Maxwell said: “At present, when the surrogate mother gives birth, she is considered to be the legal mother, regardless of whether she has a genetic relationship with the child. Intended parents therefore have to apply to the English courts for a parental order...

Nicola Laver
Editor
Solicitors Journal

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