As noted in one of our previous newsletters, Growing Families has this year established an International Advisory Board, to help keep you abreast Global Update on the frequent developments in surrogacy globally. The updates below come from our last quarterly meeting.
Georgia Update
Georgian Prime Minister Vows to Ban Surrogacy from 1 Jan 2024
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on 12 June announced surrogacy would only be permitted for Georgian citizens, similar to the laws in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The draft law will be sent to the Georgian Parliament this week. Prime Minister Garibashvili says “We think it will be approved in the fall, and it will come into effect on January 1, 2024.
Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili said the Government initiative would also apply to foreigners seeking to use IVF services such as donor eggs.
Growing Families expects that Georgia’s notaries will be banned from notarising agreements from this date. Growing Families has ramped up its advisory and concierge programs to meet the growing demand amongst intended parents for ongoing support in an ever-changing landscape
Colombia Update
The Colombian government has recently put forward a Bill to better regulate surrogacy. The Bill calls for a residency requirement (which will then ban foreigners). The current bill would need to be ratified by 20 June 2023. If this does not occur, it will need to be re-submitted to congress in its September session. If the bill is passed, there will apparently be a 12-18 month period before it is enacted.
Ukraine Update
A Draft Law “On the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Substitute Motherhood”, No. 6475-d, was recently introduced which proposes a ban on surrogacy in Ukraine, unless the intended parent is married to a citizen of Ukraine. The proposal sought the ban for the period of martial law and for three years following. The draft law also proposed prohibition of agencies and any advertising aimed at attracting surrogates. Apparently this draft law was withdrawn from consideration on 3 May 2023.
Canada Update
In Canada, Quebec is currently drafting laws to allow foreigners to access surrogacy. The current draft bill stipulates that the intended parents must be residents of Quebec. However this will likely be revised to widen intended parent eligibility before going to parliament
Uganda Update
The Uganda government has drafted new surrogacy laws which will allow foreigners to engage in Uganda. These are before parliament currently. While the bill specifically states married and unmarried couples, and single parents of either gender, the international uproar around Uganda’s discriminatory laws persecuting gay men makes it a highly dangerous destination for this cohort.
Rest of World
Surrogacy programs in Georgia, Argentina and Greece continue to struggle to meet demand. Intended parents should continue to expect longer wait times and higher levels of surrogate drop-out.
