Surrogacy for foreigners prohibited in Georgia. Terms change for Georgian couples, too
Surrogacy in Georgia
Georgia has introduced a ban on surrogacy and IVF services for foreigners, as stated by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
Only citizens of Georgia will be able to use the surrogacy service in the country. Among the reasons for the ban, Garibashvili said the welfare of surrogate children who are taken away from the country cannot be controlled, and there is information that “children can be taken by same-sex couples.”
“According to the new bill, only Georgian citizens should have such an opportunity. A foreign citizen can no longer, sorry for the rude expression, make such an order. In fact, the “order” is placed directly in the form of advertising on the sites. Our women are offered a “lucrative business”. And then no one knows where and who takes the children born in Georgia. There is information that it could be same-sex couples,” Garibashvili said.
In addition to surrogate motherhood, the possibility of in vitro fertilization for foreigners will also be limited in Georgia.
According to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health is working on a relevant bill, which will be sent to Parliament.
In vitro fertilization (IVF), surrogacy, as well as all related procedures for non-citizens of Georgia will be limited from January 1, 2024, Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili said.
As for citizens of Georgia, they will have the right to have a child through egg donation or a surrogate mother, but women will be prohibited from taking money for it.
There will be a note in the project that all types of advertising of surrogate motherhood will be prohibited. “The principle of altruism must operate here,” Garibashvili said.
“At the very least, a citizen of Georgia who wants to become a donor or a surrogate mother must act on the principle of altruism and can only receive compensation that is directly related to the costs of pregnancy and childbirth.”
According to him, about two thousand women are engaged in surrogate motherhood in Georgia.
● As of 2022, surrogacy is only allowed in a few countries: Australia, Georgia, Canada, Ukraine, UK, Laos, Colombia, several US states and India. In most countries of Europe and Asia, surrogate motherhood is criminally punishable.
Countries that oppose surrogate motherhood believe that it humiliates the dignity of the child and the surrogate mother and turns them into objects of regular contracts. Surrogate motherhood is contrary to the rights of children. The human body cannot be the subject of a private contract.
● According to an investigation conducted by Radio Liberty, the salary of a surrogate mother in Georgia today is between 15,000 and 20,000 dollars. Most surrogate mothers in Georgia belong to socially vulnerable categories of citizens. According to expert Tamar Gvazava, today in Georgia 99 percent of those who use surrogacy and donation services are foreign couples.
The surrogacy program is used by couples from Europe, China, Israel, Turkey, and the USA. Recently, more and more couples come from Australia and Canada. Georgia became even more popular country for surrogate motherhood after the war in Ukraine.
● Advertising banners with a photo of a young smiling pregnant woman can be found in the Tbilisi subway. Under the photo there is a caption that one of the surrogacy agencies “offers compensation from 60,000 to 70,000 lari [about $20,000-25,000] to women aged 19 to 38.”
