Overseas Surrogacy Risks Stateless Babies: Urgent Regulation Need 2026

The rise in overseas surrogacy is leaving more babies at risk of becoming stateless, according to experts who are calling for urgent global regulation of the practice. This warning follows the suspension of a 15-year effort by The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) to establish a global surrogacy convention, paused due to divisions among member states. With more older women, gay couples, and people affected by infertility seeking to become parents, increasing numbers of babies are now being born to surrogates around the world.

The Growing Risk of Statelessness from Overseas Surrogacy

When a child is born through surrogacy abroad, the legal parentage can become unclear if the surrogate's country and the intended parents' country have conflicting laws. This lack of coordination leads to what experts call “limping parentage”—where a child has different legal parents in different jurisdictions. In severe cases, the child may end up with no recognized nationality at all, making them stateless.

Why Global Surrogacy Regulation Failed

Prof Michael Hellner, who chaired the HCCH working group, explained that hugely differing opinions on the ethics of surrogacy between member states made a global framework impossible. “I invested 10 years of my life into this project. But if there’s no political will, there’s absolutely no point in us spending more of people’s time and money,” he said. The patchwork of cross-border surrogacy arrangements puts babies at risk, and the risk of statelessness is increasing.

Comparative Surrogacy Laws Around the World

Laws differ dramatically from country to country. Some nations, like Italy, ban surrogacy outright. Others, including certain US states, allow commercial surrogacy. The UK permits only “altruistic” surrogacy, where surrogates cannot be paid more than their expenses. Below is a comparison of key regions:

Key Takeaways: The Risks and the Need for Action

• Statelessness risk: Babies born via overseas surrogacy may end up without any nationality due to conflicting parentage laws.
• Limping parentage: A child may have different legal parents in different countries, causing legal and personal chaos.
• Outdated domestic laws: UK surrogacy agencies argue that restrictive domestic frameworks push couples abroad, where protections for surrogates are weaker.
• Ethical divide: Anti-surrogacy campaigners call for a global ban, while others support regulated commercial surrogacy.

FAQ

The consequences of unregulated overseas surrogacy are severe, affecting the most vulnerable—newborn children. As the number of cross-border surrogacy arrangements continues to rise, the call for urgent global regulation grows louder. Experts stress that without political will, more children will face the devastating reality of statelessness. It is essential for governments to come together to protect both surrogates and the children born from these arrangements.