Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law (Hearing the Views of Children on Surrogacy Law Reform)

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access, thanks to Knowledge Unlatched funding, and freely available to read online.

Surrogacy unsettles established understandings of parenthood, family and reproduction. Many of the debates around surrogacy focus on ideas about what is best for children, yet regulation has largely been shaped without their direct engagement. Children’s Voices in Surrogacy Law: Hearing the Views of Children on Surrogacy Law Reform addresses this gap through the first empirical study of its kind in the UK, presenting the perspectives of 54 children aged 8–18.

Drawing on group interviews and creative methods, the study captures the views of surrogate-born children, children of surrogates, and children without experience of surrogacy. It examines their perspectives on legal parenthood, payments, and access to information about origins, showing how existing legal frameworks are experienced and understood by those they most affect.

Authors Katherine Wade, Kirsty Horsey, and Zaina Mahmoud challenge prevailing assumptions and reveal the limits of adult-centred approaches. Set against ongoing law reform efforts, including the UK Law Commissions’ 2023 proposals, the book argues that meaningful and sustainable surrogacy law reform requires recognising children as active participants in, rather than passive subjects of, legal frameworks.

An essential resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners concerned with the future of family law and child-centred regulation, Children’s Voices in Surrogacy Law offers an innovative and replicable methodology for incorporating children’s perspectives into legal consultation.