Latest items for ACR-LAW-1
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: United States
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"It’s also women like Sophie Islip, a 39-year-old florist in Utah, who... now finds herself freezing her eggs in Greece, where it’s cheaper, and lining up a surrogate in Argentina... Or it’s the infertile couples that Ashley [an American surrogate] works with in China, where surrogacy is illegal, but who know to take advantage of the lax laws and friendly agencies in states like Idaho and California" (para 17). Surrogacy law varies by state in America, but even in states where it is legal, it is often unaffordable for many families, resulting in fertility tourism to other countries (LEN - CODER COMMENT). "Proposed laws like the Right to Build Families...more
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"It’s also women like Sophie Islip, a 39-year-old florist in Utah, who... now finds herself freezing her eggs in Greece, where it’s cheaper, and lining up a surrogate in Argentina... Or it’s the infertile couples that Ashley [an American surrogate] works with in China, where surrogacy is illegal, but who know to take advantage of the lax laws and friendly agencies in states like Idaho and California" (para 17). Surrogacy law varies by state in America, but even in states where it is legal, it is often unaffordable for many families, resulting in fertility tourism to other countries (LEN - CODER COMMENT). "Proposed laws like the Right to Build Families...more
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: Mexico
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The beginning of the craze, he said, was June 2021, when Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled surrogacy was legal" (para 28). "One California woman, who is 31, single, and childless, called up a few months ago to ask for his [Marin, a surrogate fixer in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico] help to achieve her dream of having 12 kids by the time she was 40, all through surrogacy. Marin said no because 'I’m not going to create trauma for the surrogates, to her, or to the twelve babies.' But there’s no law preventing him from saying yes" (para 32).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The beginning of the craze, he said, was June 2021, when Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled surrogacy was legal" (para 28). "One California woman, who is 31, single, and childless, called up a few months ago to ask for his [Marin, a surrogate fixer in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico] help to achieve her dream of having 12 kids by the time she was 40, all through surrogacy. Marin said no because 'I’m not going to create trauma for the surrogates, to her, or to the twelve babies.' But there’s no law preventing him from saying yes" (para 32).
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: Laos, Nigeria
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Some places have no laws, or weak ones, around surrogacy, like Laos and Nigeria" (para 34).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Some places have no laws, or weak ones, around surrogacy, like Laos and Nigeria" (para 34).
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: India
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"India was a popular destination for surrogacy, but after reports came out of women being forced to sign contracts they couldn’t read and live in 'gestational dormitories,' away from their families, the government made the commercial trade illegal in 2019" (para 37).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"India was a popular destination for surrogacy, but after reports came out of women being forced to sign contracts they couldn’t read and live in 'gestational dormitories,' away from their families, the government made the commercial trade illegal in 2019" (para 37).
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: Greece
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"It’s also women like Sophie Islip, a 39-year-old florist in Utah, who... now finds herself freezing her eggs in Greece, where it’s cheaper" (para 17). Freezing eggs is legal and cheaper in Greece and results in fertility tourism (LEN - CODER COMMENT).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"It’s also women like Sophie Islip, a 39-year-old florist in Utah, who... now finds herself freezing her eggs in Greece, where it’s cheaper" (para 17). Freezing eggs is legal and cheaper in Greece and results in fertility tourism (LEN - CODER COMMENT).
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: Georgia, Russia, Ukraine
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Heterosexual married couples only can contract a surrogate in Ukraine, Georgia, and Russia" (para 34).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Heterosexual married couples only can contract a surrogate in Ukraine, Georgia, and Russia" (para 34).
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: France
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Most Western governments ban surrogacy outright (French president Emmanuel Macron called it a 'red line')" (para 34).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Most Western governments ban surrogacy outright (French president Emmanuel Macron called it a 'red line')" (para 34).
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: Canada
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"In Canada, altruistic surrogacy only is legal—meaning the woman can’t be paid. And it’s illegal to do the type of gender selection that Marin [a surrogate fixer from Mexico] offers" (para 34).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"In Canada, altruistic surrogacy only is legal—meaning the woman can’t be paid. And it’s illegal to do the type of gender selection that Marin [a surrogate fixer from Mexico] offers" (para 34).
Jan. 17, 2026, 3:23 p.m.
Countries: Argentina
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"It’s also women like Sophie Islip, a 39-year-old florist in Utah, who... now finds herself... lining up a surrogate in Argentina" (para 17). Purchasing a surrogate in Argentina is legal and cheaper than America and results in fertility tourism (LEN - CODER COMMENT).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"It’s also women like Sophie Islip, a 39-year-old florist in Utah, who... now finds herself... lining up a surrogate in Argentina" (para 17). Purchasing a surrogate in Argentina is legal and cheaper than America and results in fertility tourism (LEN - CODER COMMENT).
Dec. 17, 2025, 9:28 a.m.
Countries: Laos
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"In the management of illegal surrogacy and abortion, the MOH issued Decision on the Management of Surrogacy and Abortion No. 2077/MOH, 2021, the objective is to prescribe principles, regulations, methods and measures related to monitoring, an inspection of pregnancy, surrogacy, abortion and abortion of others in the Lao PDR, in order to implement this task in line scientific principles, medical ethics, moral principles and justice for citizens" (22). While this quote does not specifically describe under which circumstances surrogacy would be considered illegal, it shows that such circumstances do exist under Laotian law (NAC - CODER COMMENT).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"In the management of illegal surrogacy and abortion, the MOH issued Decision on the Management of Surrogacy and Abortion No. 2077/MOH, 2021, the objective is to prescribe principles, regulations, methods and measures related to monitoring, an inspection of pregnancy, surrogacy, abortion and abortion of others in the Lao PDR, in order to implement this task in line scientific principles, medical ethics, moral principles and justice for citizens" (22). While this quote does not specifically describe under which circumstances surrogacy would be considered illegal, it shows that such circumstances do exist under Laotian law (NAC - CODER COMMENT).
Oct. 25, 2025, 6:37 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"At present, China does not have a specific law that outright bans surrogacy, but various government regulations prohibit the practice" (para 16).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"At present, China does not have a specific law that outright bans surrogacy, but various government regulations prohibit the practice" (para 16).
Oct. 10, 2025, 8:59 p.m.
Countries: Slovakia
Variables: CUST-LAW-4, ACR-LAW-1, RISW-PRACTICE-1
"Slovakia has changed its constitution, enshrining into law recognition of only two sexes – male and female. The legal change, which passed in a knife-edge vote in the central European nation's parliament, also restricts adoption to married heterosexual couples and prohibits surrogate pregnancies" (para. 1-2).
Variables: CUST-LAW-4, ACR-LAW-1, RISW-PRACTICE-1
"Slovakia has changed its constitution, enshrining into law recognition of only two sexes – male and female. The legal change, which passed in a knife-edge vote in the central European nation's parliament, also restricts adoption to married heterosexual couples and prohibits surrogate pregnancies" (para. 1-2).
April 10, 2025, 11:33 a.m.
Countries: Czech Republic
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"In the end, she settled on the Czech Republic because it was cheaper than going to the US, and because the country allows frozen eggs to be transported out of the country for IVF later down the line" (para 8).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"In the end, she settled on the Czech Republic because it was cheaper than going to the US, and because the country allows frozen eggs to be transported out of the country for IVF later down the line" (para 8).
April 10, 2025, 11:31 a.m.
Countries: China
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Despite China’s push to boost the birthrate, only married couples with fertility problems can use egg-freezing services or any kind of assisted reproductive technologies" (para 2). "In 2020, the national health commission said that allowing single women to freeze their eggs could give women 'false hope' and encourage them to delay motherhood, 'which is not conducive to protecting the health of women and offspring'. The topic of relaxing the rules around egg freezing is routinely discussed at China’s political meetings but so far the national policy has remained fixed" (para 13). "In 2022, a Chinese court overruled an attempt by Teresa Xu, a single woman, to sue a Beijing hospital...more
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Despite China’s push to boost the birthrate, only married couples with fertility problems can use egg-freezing services or any kind of assisted reproductive technologies" (para 2). "In 2020, the national health commission said that allowing single women to freeze their eggs could give women 'false hope' and encourage them to delay motherhood, 'which is not conducive to protecting the health of women and offspring'. The topic of relaxing the rules around egg freezing is routinely discussed at China’s political meetings but so far the national policy has remained fixed" (para 13). "In 2022, a Chinese court overruled an attempt by Teresa Xu, a single woman, to sue a Beijing hospital...more
April 4, 2025, 9:22 a.m.
Countries: United States
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"'Italy can’t argue that surrogates in California are being exploited because in California it is perfectly legal'" (para 13).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"'Italy can’t argue that surrogates in California are being exploited because in California it is perfectly legal'" (para 13).
April 4, 2025, 9:21 a.m.
Countries: Canada, United States
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The practice is legal and regulated in 66 countries, although most Italians access the procedure in the US or Canada, where surrogacy is not specified on the birth certificate and where their child can obtain immediate US or Canadian citizenship" (para 7).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The practice is legal and regulated in 66 countries, although most Italians access the procedure in the US or Canada, where surrogacy is not specified on the birth certificate and where their child can obtain immediate US or Canadian citizenship" (para 7).
April 4, 2025, 9:20 a.m.
Countries: Italy
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The Italian parents of a child who was recently born in the US via surrogacy say they are too afraid to return home since Giorgia Meloni’s government enacted the west’s most restrictive law against what she described as 'procreative tourism'. The gay couple could be among the first Italians to be prosecuted under the law, enacted in early December, which extended an outright ban on domestic surrogacy by making it a universal crime that transcends borders, putting them on a par with terrorists, paedophiles and war criminals. The measure can lead to prison terms of up to two years and fines of between €600,000 and €1m (£500,000 and £840,000)" (para...more
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The Italian parents of a child who was recently born in the US via surrogacy say they are too afraid to return home since Giorgia Meloni’s government enacted the west’s most restrictive law against what she described as 'procreative tourism'. The gay couple could be among the first Italians to be prosecuted under the law, enacted in early December, which extended an outright ban on domestic surrogacy by making it a universal crime that transcends borders, putting them on a par with terrorists, paedophiles and war criminals. The measure can lead to prison terms of up to two years and fines of between €600,000 and €1m (£500,000 and £840,000)" (para...more
March 27, 2025, 10:21 a.m.
Countries: Denmark
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Law recognizes Co-mothers and not co-fathers, e.g. two men with a child using surrogate mother" (6).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Law recognizes Co-mothers and not co-fathers, e.g. two men with a child using surrogate mother" (6).
March 14, 2025, 8:48 p.m.
Countries: Georgia
Variables: TRAFF-LAW-1, ACR-LAW-1
"Georgia does not have specific laws regarding surrogacy. However, companies operating there advertise their services and surrogacy arrangements are considered legal contracts. The Georgia government has stated it is in the process of declaring it illegal" (para 14).
Variables: TRAFF-LAW-1, ACR-LAW-1
"Georgia does not have specific laws regarding surrogacy. However, companies operating there advertise their services and surrogacy arrangements are considered legal contracts. The Georgia government has stated it is in the process of declaring it illegal" (para 14).
March 13, 2025, 8:55 p.m.
Countries: Russia
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Commercial surrogacy refers to an arrangement in which a woman is paid a fee for carrying a pregnancy for another person or couple. This differs from altruistic surrogacy, in which a woman volunteers to carry a pregnancy without any compensation beyond medical reimbursements. Typically, commercial surrogacy is gestational surrogacy, meaning the surrogate has no biological link to the child... [I]n Ukraine and Russia, both forms are legal" (para 5-7).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Commercial surrogacy refers to an arrangement in which a woman is paid a fee for carrying a pregnancy for another person or couple. This differs from altruistic surrogacy, in which a woman volunteers to carry a pregnancy without any compensation beyond medical reimbursements. Typically, commercial surrogacy is gestational surrogacy, meaning the surrogate has no biological link to the child... [I]n Ukraine and Russia, both forms are legal" (para 5-7).
March 13, 2025, 8:55 p.m.
Countries: Canada
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"[I]n Canada… only altruistic surrogacy is allowed" (para 7).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"[I]n Canada… only altruistic surrogacy is allowed" (para 7).
March 13, 2025, 8:55 p.m.
Countries: Georgia
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Commercial surrogacy refers to an arrangement in which a woman is paid a fee for carrying a pregnancy for another person or couple. This differs from altruistic surrogacy, in which a woman volunteers to carry a pregnancy without any compensation beyond medical reimbursements. Typically, commercial surrogacy is gestational surrogacy, meaning the surrogate has no biological link to the child... In Georgia,... both forms are legal" (para 5-7). "Until last year, Ukraine was the world’s second-largest surrogacy market behind the U.S., attracting foreign would-be parents with lower fees and a favorable regulatory framework. Crucially, that includes naming intended parents on the baby’s birth certificate, rather than the surrogate mother.... The conflict...more
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Commercial surrogacy refers to an arrangement in which a woman is paid a fee for carrying a pregnancy for another person or couple. This differs from altruistic surrogacy, in which a woman volunteers to carry a pregnancy without any compensation beyond medical reimbursements. Typically, commercial surrogacy is gestational surrogacy, meaning the surrogate has no biological link to the child... In Georgia,... both forms are legal" (para 5-7). "Until last year, Ukraine was the world’s second-largest surrogacy market behind the U.S., attracting foreign would-be parents with lower fees and a favorable regulatory framework. Crucially, that includes naming intended parents on the baby’s birth certificate, rather than the surrogate mother.... The conflict...more
March 13, 2025, 8:55 p.m.
Countries: Ukraine
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Commercial surrogacy refers to an arrangement in which a woman is paid a fee for carrying a pregnancy for another person or couple. This differs from altruistic surrogacy, in which a woman volunteers to carry a pregnancy without any compensation beyond medical reimbursements. Typically, commercial surrogacy is gestational surrogacy, meaning the surrogate has no biological link to the child... [I]n Ukraine... both forms are legal" (para 5-7). "Until last year, Ukraine was the world’s second-largest surrogacy market behind the U.S., attracting foreign would-be parents with lower fees and a favorable regulatory framework. Crucially, that includes naming intended parents on the baby’s birth certificate, rather than the surrogate mother" (para 13).more
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Commercial surrogacy refers to an arrangement in which a woman is paid a fee for carrying a pregnancy for another person or couple. This differs from altruistic surrogacy, in which a woman volunteers to carry a pregnancy without any compensation beyond medical reimbursements. Typically, commercial surrogacy is gestational surrogacy, meaning the surrogate has no biological link to the child... [I]n Ukraine... both forms are legal" (para 5-7). "Until last year, Ukraine was the world’s second-largest surrogacy market behind the U.S., attracting foreign would-be parents with lower fees and a favorable regulatory framework. Crucially, that includes naming intended parents on the baby’s birth certificate, rather than the surrogate mother" (para 13).more
March 13, 2025, 8:55 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"[I]n... the U.K., only altruistic surrogacy is allowed" (para 7). "In the U.K., for instance, regulatory authorities are working on a review to improve domestic surrogacy safeguards" (para 33).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"[I]n... the U.K., only altruistic surrogacy is allowed" (para 7). "In the U.K., for instance, regulatory authorities are working on a review to improve domestic surrogacy safeguards" (para 33).
March 13, 2025, 8:55 p.m.
Countries: United States
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The laws around surrogacy vary widely from country to country and state to state. In the U.S., for instance, the practice is permitted in some states but banned in others" (para 7).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"The laws around surrogacy vary widely from country to country and state to state. In the U.S., for instance, the practice is permitted in some states but banned in others" (para 7).
Feb. 12, 2025, 8:03 p.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: MARR-LAW-2, ACR-LAW-1
"Same-sex marriage is illegal in South Korea, and unmarried women are not generally permitted to use sperm donors to conceive" (par. 74).
Variables: MARR-LAW-2, ACR-LAW-1
"Same-sex marriage is illegal in South Korea, and unmarried women are not generally permitted to use sperm donors to conceive" (par. 74).
Jan. 10, 2025, 1:52 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Surrogacy is forbidden in China but traveling abroad to have surrogate children has increasingly become an option for some Chinese couples, especially wealthy ones" (par. 5).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Surrogacy is forbidden in China but traveling abroad to have surrogate children has increasingly become an option for some Chinese couples, especially wealthy ones" (par. 5).
Jan. 3, 2025, 12:33 p.m.
Countries: Turkey
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Other countries — including Turkey — have administratively barred couples from seeking cross-border surrogacy but have stopped short of passing full-fledged laws" (par. 15).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Other countries — including Turkey — have administratively barred couples from seeking cross-border surrogacy but have stopped short of passing full-fledged laws" (par. 15).
Jan. 3, 2025, 12:33 p.m.
Countries: France, Germany
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Many European Union countries, including Germany and France, ban domestic surrogacy. In some of those countries, families who use international surrogacy can sometimes face obstacles to registering their newborns as citizens" (par. 15).
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Many European Union countries, including Germany and France, ban domestic surrogacy. In some of those countries, families who use international surrogacy can sometimes face obstacles to registering their newborns as citizens" (par. 15).
Jan. 3, 2025, 12:32 p.m.
Countries: Italy
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Italy on Wednesday passed the West’s most restrictive law against international surrogacy, threatening would-be parents who use birth mothers abroad with jail time and severe fines in a move that critics say will chiefly target same-sex couples. Domestic surrogacy was already banned in Italy, as it is in some other countries and U.S. states, but the amended Italian law goes further, classifying surrogacy as a rare universal crime that transcends borders, like terrorism or genocide" (par. 1-2). "The law, passed last year by the lower house and effectively ensured by the Senate vote on Wednesday, also criminalizes work by Italian citizens employed as doctors, nurses and technicians in foreign fertility...more
Variables: ACR-LAW-1
"Italy on Wednesday passed the West’s most restrictive law against international surrogacy, threatening would-be parents who use birth mothers abroad with jail time and severe fines in a move that critics say will chiefly target same-sex couples. Domestic surrogacy was already banned in Italy, as it is in some other countries and U.S. states, but the amended Italian law goes further, classifying surrogacy as a rare universal crime that transcends borders, like terrorism or genocide" (par. 1-2). "The law, passed last year by the lower house and effectively ensured by the Senate vote on Wednesday, also criminalizes work by Italian citizens employed as doctors, nurses and technicians in foreign fertility...more