National Surrogacy Week 2025: Making Noise from Truth
By Kay King, Head of Ethics
A Personal Celebration Amid Controversy
It is National Surrogacy Awareness Week 2025 and I look forward to this week every year as a celebration of the work of My Surrogacy Journey, my employer, and the many surrogate families that I have the pleasure of supporting and working alongside. This year is particularly special to me, as I am 25 weeks pregnant as a surrogate to the most wonderful set of parents and am enjoying my daily amazement at my growing bump and the kicks I am receiving with joy from the little human inside me.
Unfortunately, this year has been somewhat tainted by the release and subsequent media sensationalism of two recent studies involving gestational surrogates in Canada.
When Media Sensationalism Meets Scientific Research
This week we have witnessed The Guardian and several anti-surrogacy organisations use these studies to attempt to defame surrogacy, and I am not going to stand by without taking a deep dive look at what I believe to be a deliberate attempt to use data to serve an already existing agenda.
Why Ethical Surrogacy Advocates Welcome Good Data
I love studies that involve surrogates in the data. Working as the Head of Ethics for one of the world’s leading surrogacy agencies, I take new data and information very seriously. And let’s be clear: there are still many areas of global surrogacy that require improvement, protection, and greater ethical advancements. What I cannot abide is data that is used out of context and sensationalised to affirm unfounded opinions and whip up a storm in the perception of the uneducated public.
Surrogacy is growing globally. It is also fragile. With many people having not had much or any exposure or education to the multi-faceted complexities of surrogacy, it is important that we commit to modelling ethical surrogacy and highlighting facts over misleading information so that people can arrive at informed decisions.
Two studies have been published, containing data from surrogacy in Ontario, Canada between April 2012 and March 2021. I support the undertaking of these studies, and this blog is not aimed at challenging the existence of insights into surrogacy. What the blog challenges is the interpretation of these studies as leverage by mainstream media and anti-surrogacy campaigns to sensationalise the findings and twist truths in the plight to abolish, slander, and attack surrogacy as a viable and ethical route to family building.
The Real Facts: What the Canadian Studies Actually Found
Let’s start with the facts. The first study, Severe Maternal and Neonatal Morbidity Among Gestational Carriers (Velez et al., 2024), concluded:
Study 1: Maternal and Neonatal Health Outcomes
“Among singleton births of more than 20 weeks’ gestation, a higher risk for SMM and adverse pregnancy outcomes was seen among gestational carriers compared with women who conceived with and without assistance. Although gestational carriage was associated with preterm birth, there was less clear evidence of severe neonatal morbidity. Potential mechanisms for higher maternal morbidity among gestational carriers require elucidation, alongside developing special care plans for gestational carriers.”
Study 2: Mental Health Considerations
The second study, New-Onset Mental Illness Among Gestational Carriers (Velez et al., 2025), concluded:
“Gestational carriers appear more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness during and after pregnancy. Because gestational carriers may be more likely to be diagnosed with new-onset mental illness, mental health screening and the provision of counselling and support during and after pregnancy may be particularly important in this group.”
How Anti-Surrogacy Campaigns Twisted the Truth
These are not conclusions that condemn surrogacy. They are calls to action — to improve care, to enhance support, and to develop ethical frameworks that protect gestational carriers. This is what ethical surrogacy advocates for!
Yet, what many anti-surrogacy campaigners and UK media outlets have derived from these studies is something entirely different. One organisation claimed:
“Two major Canadian studies (2024 & 2025) reveal what many women have known for years: surrogacy is not safe, and it’s not ethical.”
And The Guardian ran the headline:
“Surrogates at greater risk of new mental illness than women carrying own babies, study finds.”
The Problem with Sensationalist Headlines
These statements are problematic. They sensationalise the reality of the studies’ conclusions and point towards surrogacy being wrong, harmful, or unethical — rather than pointing towards the need for greater support or ethical care. This was not the intention of the studies.
There are no headlines suggesting that birth itself is unsafe, despite the studies also highlighting concerns related to unassisted or IVF conception. The media outcry focuses purely on surrogacy, ignoring the broader context and the nuanced findings.
Understanding the Research Limitations
Let’s also consider the methodology. Both studies had extremely imbalanced cohort sizes — with fewer than 1,000 gestational carriers compared to hundreds of thousands in the comparator groups. While the researchers used robust statistical techniques like propensity score weighting to adjust for this, the disparity still limits generalisability and precision. The studies were geographically specific to Ontario and did not account for the level of ethical support provided by agencies or organisations. They do not represent the global landscape of surrogacy.
What they do offer is a roadmap — a way for Ontario, Canada to work towards better ethical standards for screening and support. And that’s something we should all be behind.
Perspectives from Midwifery Best Practice
Anna Byrom, Midwife Educator and Researcher and Publisher of The Practicing Midwife Journal shared her perspective on the insights shared in this blog.
‘Recognising the importance of ensuring human rights-based approaches to policy and practice it is critical we hold compassion for those families who have no choice but to consider surrogacy and recognise the important work being done to ensure this is supported through meaningful, ethical and person-centred services who seek to strengthen care for all involved. Whilst we all have our own personal and professional perspectives, midwives and other regulated health professionals are required to follow their legal and ethical codes of practice. For midwives, this includes respecting all individuals’ choices, preferences and ensuring quality, safe and personalised care. Providing rights-based care is not a choice but a prerogative.’
MSJ’s Commitment to Ethical Excellence
My Surrogacy Journey uphold and set the standard for ethical surrogacy globally. That means rigorous screening, ongoing mental health support, and a commitment to the wellbeing of every surrogate. These studies reinforce the importance of that work — they do not undermine it.
This National Surrogacy Week: Choose Truth Over Sensationalism
So this National Surrogacy Week, let’s make noise from truth. Let’s celebrate the families built through surrogacy, the surrogates who give so generously, and the researchers who help us do better. Let’s reject sensationalism and stand firm in our commitment to ethical, informed, and compassionate surrogacy. Let’s question findings, question truths and not take studies that are aimed at improving ethical standards as evidence for the abolishment of a growing and transformative route to parenthood.
