Hazel Davis, a trustee of the SurrogacyUK Foundation, has shared her personal experience with surrogacy in response to a letter by Lexi Ellingsworth about surrogacy regulation and ethics. Davis gave birth to a baby for her friends in January, and while the baby lives with its parents, Davis and her husband remain the legal parents until a family court hearing in September recognizes the biological parents.
Personal Surrogacy Journey
Davis's involvement with surrogacy began when her sister suffered complications after the birth of her first child. After a second difficult birth, doctors advised that further pregnancies would be unsafe. Her sister's friend then carried her third child, making Davis an aunt via surrogacy. Her niece, now five years old, is fully integrated into the family, and Davis sees no evidence that her origins have had any impact.
In 2023, Davis's friends, David and his wife, confided that they had joined SurrogacyUK to start a family. David had been Davis's husband's best friend since primary school and her friend since university. When Davis offered to be their surrogate, they were surprised. Aware of the risks but supported by those around her, Davis proceeded. During the pregnancy, the friends recorded children's stories, which Davis played through speakers on her belly so the baby would recognize their voices at birth.
Legal Challenges and Concerns
The legal complexities became evident when the baby fell seriously ill at just 11 days old. As legal parents, Davis and her husband were required to consent to medical tests, while the biological parents, at the bedside, were unable to make those decisions. Davis argues that the law is not acting in the best interests of the children.
Davis addresses concerns about protecting surrogates, stating, "To those who wish to protect me by denying me the choice to use my body to help my friends, your concern is misguided." She cites Susan Golombok, professor emerita of family research at the University of Cambridge, who noted in April that a 20-year study of UK surrogacy families "found no evidence of widespread psychological harm to children, parents, or surrogates."
Future and Conclusion
Davis concludes that her friends' baby will grow up knowing where they came from, how much they were wanted, and how much they are loved. Her letter highlights the emotional and legal realities of surrogacy, emphasizing the need for legal reform to better support all parties involved.
