Would-Be Parents Fleeced, Surrogates Abandoned by Mexican Surrogacy Operation Planet Hospital

An unscrupulous surrogacy operation in Mexico has left clients thousands of dollars out of pocket, and dozens of would-be surrogates abandoned, a Foreign Correspondent investigation has revealed.

Some of the clients are believed to be Australians.

At least one of the surrogates tracked down by Foreign Correspondent miscarried after being impregnated with twins, and received only a fraction of the money she was promised.  

The man behind the operation, Rudy Rupak, has done the same thing previously in two other countries, according to one of his former employees.

Earlier this year, Foreign Correspondent exposed India's lucrative commercial surrogacy industry, following two Australian couples on their own odyssey to create a baby.

Clinics offering an array of affordable fertility services are springing up in cities, towns and villages across the subcontinent. 

But despite urgent calls to the Indian government to legislate, the multi-million-dollar industry continues to operate in a regulatory vacuum, making it very difficult for would-be parents to navigate the system and avoid rogue operators.

It can be even riskier when would-be parents – those who...