Parliamentary petition calling for surrogacy law reform hits 100,000 signatures

Celebrity parents Adam Frisby and Jamie Corbett, whose daughter Leven was born via a US surrogacy arrangement earlier this year, have started a petition calling for parents through surrogacy to be recognised as their children’s legal parents from birth.

Their petition has already gained significant public support, surpassing 100,000 signatures, meaning it will be debated in Parliament. As campaigners for UK surrogacy law reform since 2007, we are thrilled to see such widespread support and attention to the need for reform, and will be doing all we can to prepare for any Parliamentary debate.

How you can help?

Sign Adam and Jamie’s petition

Write to your MP, asking them to attend the debate and support reform of UK surrogacy law. You can find more information on how to do this here.

 Find out more about surrogacy law reform: Surrogacy law reform – Brilliant Beginnings

Further background

The petition has been prompted by these two dads who, despite being registered as the parents on their daughter’s US birth certificate, now need to navigate a 6-10 month court application to be recognised as legal parents in the UK.

Under current UK law, the surrogate is the legal mother of a child born through surrogacy (even if she is not the biological mother and never intended to be a parent). If she is married, the surrogate’s husband, wife or civil partner is the child’s other legal parent. Legal parenthood is only transferred to the intended parent or parents once the family court grants a parental order. The parental order process involves an initial application, an assessment by a CAFCASS social worker, a written statement from the intended parent(s), and one or more hearings in the family court (which in international surrogacy cases involves a High Court judge). The process typically takes between 6 and 10 months.

Faced with this complex and often lengthy process, Adam and Jamie have chosen to campaign for change.