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Russia’s rapidly developing surrogate industry may now grind to a halt, as members of the parliament debate banning the practice. The issue is dividing feminists, the surrogacy industry and surrogate mothers – who are often some of Russia’s poorest women.
MOSCOW – Anna came to Moscow five years ago, looking for a job. Now, aged 22, she is pregnant with her first surrogate baby. She sees surrogacy as a way to help other people, she says.
“I wanted to take part in the surrogacy program even before I had my own child. But this is forbidden by Russian law, so I had to wait for some years,” she says. According to Russia’s surrogacy regulations, a woman must already have her own biological child before acting as a surrogate for someone else.
Anna sees her three-year-old biological daughter every day on Skype: While Anna lives in a special hotel until the birth of the surrogate baby, her own daughter is staying in Ukraine with her grandmother. “When she grows up, I will tell her about my current job,” Anna says.
If the pregnancy and...