Ukraine parliament considers tighter surrogacy rules that could bar foreigners
Ukraine's parliament is considering a bill that would tighten oversight of the country's surrogacy industry and effectively bar access to foreigners, who make up most intended parents.
The proposals come as the industry has nearly returned to pre-war levels after being disrupted by Russia's full-scale invasion.
The supporting material says Ukraine was widely cited before the war as the world's second commercial surrogacy hub after the United States.
One surrogate, Karina Tarasenko, is six months pregnant with an embryo from a Chinese couple's egg and sperm.
The 22-year-old from eastern Ukraine says she turned to paid surrogacy after the war left her family struggling for work and money.
She now lives on the outskirts of Kyiv in an apartment provided by her surrogacy clinic.
She is due to earn £12,500, or about $17,000, although most of the payment will come after birth.
The bill has widespread support across parliament, according to the supplied material.
Supporters say it would regulate an industry accused of turning reproduction into a commodity and exploiting poor, vulnerable women.
The issue matters because foreigners account for 95% of intended parents in Ukraine's surrogacy market, meaning any change could sharply reduce demand.
The proposals also come against the backdrop of falling birthrates in the country.
Karina says she would not have become a surrogate without the war, which she says destroyed her home in Bakhmut when she was 17 and later pushed her family to Kyiv.
