Spanish couples undergoing surrogacy processes left in legal limbo in Ukraine
By Silvia Blanco,
El País
| 08. 31. 2018
A total of 30 families are unable to secure passports for their children, after the Foreign Affairs Ministry says it has detected reports of malpractice and possible trafficking
The Spanish Consulate in Kiev is examining the cases of 30 Spanish families currently in Ukraine and who are unable to obtain a Spanish passport for their babies after entering into what is an illegal practice back home: paying a surrogate to carry their child.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, “dealing with this kind of case is a very delicate matter for the Consular Department of the Spanish Embassy in Kiev as it has received reports in recent months of possible cases of malpractice linked to assisted conception, such as the possible trafficking of minors.”
The statement also warns against “entering into any surrogate pregnancy process within this context.”
The Consulate was echoing a post on the Spanish Embassy’s website, which alerted Spanish nationals to the scams and shoddy practices of certain assisted-reproduction clinics in Ukraine, involving irregularities in the pregnancy process, induced abortions six weeks into the pregnancy so couples are forced to embark on another costly IVF treatment, and a general lack of medical attention during pregnancy.
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