They do not like to travel far from their home

Surrogates with Irish babies choose to stay in Ukraine

• A surrogate mother in Ukraine is waiting for her baby.

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• Ukrainian law permits non-commercial surrogacy.

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• The surrogate mother charges a decent amount for renting her womb.

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About 20 Irish families are waiting for their children to be born by Ukrainian surrogates, and some of them are now residing in the Polish city of Krakow, awaiting delivery, the Times has learned.

Meanwhile, advocates of surrogacy say that "not even a few" of Ukrainian women with Irish children will be transferred to Ireland.

Irish Families Through Surrogacy, Ciara Merrigan, whose baby was born through surrogacy in Ukraine three years ago, said many surrogates did not want to leave their homes, or chose to go to neighboring Poland.

Merrigan explained, “There are very few of these women who preferred not to move away from home, because they feel alienated, and that the new place is completely different from their home, and most of those who left went to Poland.” Continue, “As for those looking to come to Ireland, they will arrive on Most likely, in two or three weeks.

They went to Poland first to catch their breath, and then make a decision from there.”

"There are surrogates who want to stay in Ukraine, and it's their decision in the first place, so the Irish families are supporting them to do so," Merrigan said.

The Irish families involved provide emotional and financial support, and provide transportation for them to get out of Ukraine safely.

A number of women moved to Poland or Romania.

Some who are currently in western Ukraine, do not want to leave because they have children and elderly parents.

There are no Irish families, currently, in Ukraine, waiting for the birth of their child from a surrogate mother;

It often takes several weeks to bring a baby born through surrogacy to Ireland, but emergency travel documents have been issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs to speed up the process.

The department said it has maintained contact with the families through surrogacy arrangements and has continued to provide assistance and support.

Ukraine has become a popular destination for families looking for surrogacy since the practice was legalized there in 2002 and later banned in India and Thailand.

The average cost is about 27,000 euros, and a woman carrying the child, instead of the Irish mother, may receive up to 12,000 euros.

An estimated 2,000 to 2,500 babies are born through surrogacy in Ukraine each year.

Last year, 46 Irish babies were born to Ukrainian mothers.

Irish Senator Mary Siri Kearney said some couples have sought government assistance in the past week or two because they previously wanted to keep their surrogacy private.

Kearney explained, “Women go through different stages of pregnancy and with each passing week, we get to know more families who are expecting a baby.” Continued, “In some cases, the traditional line of communication through the clinic has been disrupted due to the atrocities committed during the past week and a half, so they are It depends on the relationship between the family and the surrogate directly.”

Last week, four Irish babies were born through surrogacy in a maternity hospital in Ukraine and have since left the country.

Legislation allowing non-commercial surrogacy in Ireland was approved by the Cabinet at the end of last month.

The long-awaited law was drafted five years ago.

Required documents

Some couples choose to go abroad to get a surrogate mother.

Couples are required to prepare documentation, including citizenship and travel documents for the child, once the surrogacy arrangement has been entered into.

A DNA test to establish genetic ancestry is usually necessary, before the child is taken to Ireland by someone other than the surrogate.

The relevant ministry provides advice on issues of citizenship, paternity, guardianship and travel documents in relation to children born through surrogacy abroad.

A lawyer who specializes in surrogacy arrangements should also be hired.

• Very few women preferred not to move away from their homeland, because they feel alienated, and that the new place is completely different from their homeland.

• €27,000 is the average cost of renting a womb in lieu of an Irish mother.

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