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U.K. surrogacy applications double in the last decade
Recent figures from the United Kingdom show that surrogacy applications have nearly doubled in the last ten years.
Data show that the number of surrogacy applications in the UK has risen from 399 in 2016 to 758 in 2026.
Overseas surrogacy arrangements have also sharply risen.
Surrogacy is a "human rights abuse" and results in the widespread destruction of human life.
According to the Ministry of Justice, 399 surrogacy applications were submitted in 2016. Ten years later, that number rose to 758 by March 2026, a 90% increase. Other figures cited in Parliament have shown a rise in overseas surrogacy arrangements, increasing from 215 in 2021 to 509 in 2025.
In total, there have been 5,763 Parental Order applications in the last decade, and 86% of those were granted.
In the U.K., intended parents (those who utilize the surrogate) do not automatically have parental rights after the child is born. Instead, they must apply to the courts for a Parental Order, which transfers parental rights from the surrogate to the intended parents.
The data does not indicate what happened in the 14% of cases where parental order applications were not granted, leaving a question as to what became of those children and who is caring for them.
Helen Gibson, founder of Surrogacy Concern, a UK organization opposed to surrogacy, attributed the rise in numbers to the increase in overseas surrogacy orders, which she called a "human rights abuse."
“We are appalled to see parental orders for surrogate-born babies soaring in number," she told The Telegraph.
She continued:
“The vast majority of surrogate born babies in the UK are now born abroad to low-income women in commercial arrangements which would not be legal if embarked upon in the UK.
Allowing foreign-born surrogate babies to be brought here is a human rights abuse: this is a loophole in the law which must close. Surrogate mothers are subject to legally enforceable contracts and often lose their rights to their babies in utero.
These high figures include single men who have been able to obtain parental orders for surrogate born children since 2019. Taking a baby off their mother at birth contradicts all best practice on the care of newborn infants. Surrogacy is exploitative, cruel and unethical. It must be banned, now.”
Though its intention is to create children, surrogacy also results in the widespread destruction of human lives. According to research published in Reproductive Biomedicine Online, over 2.5 million IVF cycles are performed globally every year, with only 500,000 babies born annually. The majority of the embryos created — each a unique human life — fail to implant or are destroyed or frozen indefinitely.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·U.K. surrogacy applications double in the last decade
Recent figures from the United Kingdom show that surrogacy applications have nearly doubled in the last ten years.
Data show that the number of surrogacy applications in the UK has risen from 399 in 2016 to 758 in 2026.
Overseas surrogacy arrangements have also sharply risen.
Surrogacy is a "human rights abuse" and results in the widespread destruction of human life.
According to the Ministry of Justice, 399 surrogacy applications were submitted in 2016. Ten years later, that number rose to 758 by March 2026, a 90% increase. Other figures cited in Parliament have shown a rise in overseas surrogacy arrangements, increasing from 215 in 2021 to 509 in 2025.
In total, there have been 5,763 Parental Order applications in the last decade, and 86% of those were granted.
In the U.K., intended parents (those who utilize the surrogate) do not automatically have parental rights after the child is born. Instead, they must apply to the courts for a Parental Order, which transfers parental rights from the surrogate to the intended parents.
The data does not indicate what happened in the 14% of cases where parental order applications were not granted, leaving a question as to what became of those children and who is caring for them.
Helen Gibson, founder of Surrogacy Concern, a UK organization opposed to surrogacy, attributed the rise in numbers to the increase in overseas surrogacy orders, which she called a "human rights abuse."
“We are appalled to see parental orders for surrogate-born babies soaring in number," she told The Telegraph.
She continued:
“The vast majority of surrogate born babies in the UK are now born abroad to low-income women in commercial arrangements which would not be legal if embarked upon in the UK.
Allowing foreign-born surrogate babies to be brought here is a human rights abuse: this is a loophole in the law which must close. Surrogate mothers are subject to legally enforceable contracts and often lose their rights to their babies in utero.
These high figures include single men who have been able to obtain parental orders for surrogate born children since 2019. Taking a baby off their mother at birth contradicts all best practice on the care of newborn infants. Surrogacy is exploitative, cruel and unethical. It must be banned, now.”
Though its intention is to create children, surrogacy also results in the widespread destruction of human lives. According to research published in Reproductive Biomedicine Online, over 2.5 million IVF cycles are performed globally every year, with only 500,000 babies born annually. The majority of the embryos created — each a unique human life — fail to implant or are destroyed or frozen indefinitely.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·Analysis
Cassy Cooke
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·International
Cassy Cooke
·International
Joanna Calhoun
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Investigative
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·