Surrogacy is an assisted reproductive technology. There are quite a lot of them, and this is one of the subtypes. The woman voluntarily agrees to become pregnant to bear and give birth to a genetically alien child. The baby is brought up by other people who are genetic parents. They are legally considered the parents of the baby, regardless of who gave birth to it. In Ukraine, this is the only option of surrogacy possible. Still, many European and US residents come to Ukraine to use these services.
How Does This Happen?
The legality of surrogacy in Ukraine and the rights of a surrogate mother are regulated by Ukrainian laws, while the cost is determined by the contract signed with the help of the responsible agency. This service is not unique and is not the most common reproductive technology among couples who, for various reasons, cannot have children. According to the WHO, more than 15% of families are infertile, but only some of them will be able to use such services.
The legislation of Ukraine has a list of rather strict requirements for the families who want to become parents in this way: these must be married couples who have completed at least four cycles of assisted reproductive technologies, and all of them have failed. For example, it is IVF (in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination). That is, only after four unsuccessful attempts, they get the right to apply for surrogacy. Surrogacy is also possible if the couple has health problems when the pregnancy cannot take place or poses a great threat to the health of the baby and the mother.
Other Requirements
- A couple needs to provide evidence, collect the appropriate package of documents that you have the right to receive a surrogate service, and you tried hard enough to have a child before that. It is impossible to do it legally in Ukraine otherwise.
- Same-sex marriages are prohibited in Ukraine, so Ukrainian clinics cannot provide services to such couples. Even if they are citizens of a country where it is allowed.
- The surrogacy program can be started after the future parents of the child submit all the necessary documents and fill out the application. It can be done with the help of a special agency as Vittoriavita, which will ensure the legality of the whole procedure, negotiate about the cost, and find a surrogate mother for a child. Only genetically related (at least 50%) with the child’s parents can use this method.
The health of the surrogate mother and child is monitored throughout the pregnancy. In the last trimester, a woman is advised to move to the city of the program to have access to qualified service in a short time. Parents, if they are foreigners, must also arrive in Ukraine a month before birth to complete the procedure. After the delivery, legal registration of paternity is carried out and the child is given to the genetic parents.
