APPG on Surrogacy – 2021 Update

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You may remember back in October 2018 myself and Wes were invited to London by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). We were asked to participate in discussions related to the Surrogacy Law Reform, led by Andrew Percy MP.

The APPG held four evidence sessions in Portcullis House, London. With invited participants including surrogates, parents through surrogacy (from both ‘domestic’ and overseas arrangements). Those also seeking to become parents through surrogacy, legal professionals (family law solicitors and barristers with experience of surrogacy cases), representatives from CAFCASS, the three main UK surrogacy non-profit organisations at the time were all asked too. Donor conception and children’s rights organisations, related other organisations, and academics (in law, sociology and psychology) also attended.

All sessions were chaired by Andrew Percy MP. Members of the Law Commission surrogacy team also attended some of the sessions. In January 2019 a further, smaller evidence session was held in the offices of Andrew Percy MP with Tom Daley (Olympic diver and father through surrogacy). Sarah Jones (surrogate and chair of SUK) and Julie Bindel (journalist and women’s rights campaigner) also attended. Some participants in the evidence sessions, as well as some others who were unable to attend, submitted

The report has been long in the writing with considerable delays due to the parliamentary and complex political calendar of the past few years. And of course, the impact of COVID-19.

Read the report

The team have now finalised their report, and you can read it here. It lists all the evidence sessions, including the one we participated in too.

Parents through surrogacy, Michael and Wes Johnson-Ellis explained how they researched surrogacy for five years before even starting their journey. They looked at surrogacy in the US (estimated cost upwards of $120,000), Canada, India, Nepal and other places but ruled out the US/Canada because of cost and decided to pursue surrogacy in the UK, later successfully having a daughter (and since the evidence sessions, also a son, with the same surrogate). The UK was also the best choice for them as they could be at scans, feel the baby kick etc, so they got to experience the pre-birth time.

Surrogacy APPG; Evidence 1 Session