Surrogacy should be a relationship, not a transaction

UK surrogates are speaking out against a move to pay women a fee for carrying someone else’s child, says Natalie Smith

pregnant woman

Photononstop / Alamy

SURROGACY law in the UK is in dire need of an overhaul. So it was no surprise when, last year, the body that oversees legal reform, the Law Commission, announced a project to make surrogacy rules “fit for the modern world”. A consultation paper is due in May.

I am a mother to two wonderful daughters born by surrogacy, who are now nearly 8 years old. For the past four years, I have been pushing for new legislation.

The most hotly debated issue is whether surrogates in the UK should be paid. Former president …