More and more heterosexual and same-sex couples in Britain are turning to surrogate mothers to help them have a family.
This month, singer Sir Elton John and his civil partner, film producer David Furnish, welcomed their second son into the world.
Both children were born to the same surrogate mother through an agency in California, where commercial surrogacy is legal and surrogates can be paid.
While surrogacy is legal in Britain, it is a criminal offence to pay a surrogate mother more than ‘reasonable expenses’ and it is also illegal to advertise that you are seeking a surrogate mother or willing to act as one.
Couples here wanting to have a baby through surrogacy can travel to somewhere like the US where they can use a professional agency, or they can find a willing surrogate here, often through the help of non-profit organisations which host social events and online forums where surrogates and intended parents can meet. Read full article.