In the program, Micael Bindefeld and Nicklas Sigurdsson talked about how a few years ago they had their son via surrogate mother in the United States. Bindefeld mentioned that the couple opted out of countries like Ukraine and India in favor of the United States.
"Here it felt like it was controlled," he said.
In Sweden, it is illegal to arrange surrogacy in healthcare, but it is allowed to go abroad. Host Carina Bergfeldt pointed out in the program that it is a controversial topic and asked how to ensure that the woman volunteers.
Harsh criticism
According to Bindefeld and Sigurdsson, several interviews and meetings were conducted before a decision was made.
"We felt very clearly that it wasn't just a business deal, but she was extremely clear right from the first conversation that she had always wanted to help some childless family," Bindefeld said.
In retrospect, the episode has received harsh criticism and been reported to the Review Board 20 times. One of the reports has come from Sweden's women's organizations.
" In concrete terms, it is about fighting against the requirement for impartiality, you normalize this trade that surrogacy entails without presenting children's or women's perspectives, says Secretary General Clara Berglund to Aftonbladet.
The same objection is echoed by several other complainants who believe that there was a lack of critical issues.
"Going to review this"
Anna Dingertz at the Review Board tells Expressen that they will take the case further.
- We're going to review this.
Ebba Adielsson, publisher of "Bergfeldt", disagrees with the criticism.
"The editorial staff of Carina Bergfeldt is aware that surrogacy is disputed, but chose not to shy away from the subject. The complexity of the issue is evident in the programme and Carina also asked several questions about the spouses' process around this. Now it's up to the Review Board if they choose to try the feature," she wrote in an email.