Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth
113,348 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 10 April 2026; it closed on 10 October 2026. The Government responded on 20 May 2026. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 7 September 2026.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth
The law must change so intended parents in surrogacy arrangements are recognised as their child’s legal parents from birth. Families should not have to go through months of court proceedings and social worker visits to be recognised as the parents of a child they planned and love.
When our daughter was born through surrogacy, we became dads the moment we held her. But under current law, the surrogate is automatically recognised as the legal mother (and if she is married, her spouse is recorded as the legal father) even with no biological connection or intention to parent the child.
Intended parents must then go through a lengthy court process to become their child’s legal parents. In 2026 we believe this is outdated. The law needs to recognise intended parents from birth.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 20 May 2026; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
We acknowledge delays to legal parenthood can cause uncertainty. The Government has no current plans to review surrogacy laws but will look to consider this in the future as time and capacity allows.
The response in full:
The Government supports surrogacy as a part of assisted conception options, and recognises the important part it can play in supporting people seeking to start a family. Parliament has decided that altruistic surrogacy arrangements are legally allowed to take place under the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985.
We recognise that surrogacy is a complex and sensitive policy issue, where detail matters to all those involved in a surrogacy arrangement, in particular the important issue of legal parenthood. We know that surrogacy is a crucial route to family formation for many LGBTQ+ people, particularly male same-sex couples, and that the current pathway and delay to legal parenthood can cause uncertainty.
Legal parenthood at birth rests with the surrogate (and their spouse/partner, if applicable). The intended parent(s) must apply to the court for a parental order after birth to become the child’s legal parents, under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Acts 1990 and 2008. This framework applies equally to heterosexual couples, same‑sex couples, and single intended parents.
The Department of Health and Social Care supported a multi-year joint project of the Law Commission for England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission to review the current surrogacy laws. The Law Commissions consulted widely on this topic, which generated a wide diversity of views, and we welcome their comprehensive report. The Government does not intend to put forward the Law Commissions’ legislative proposals at this time, owing to the limited time available to introduce new legislation. We will publish a Government response as time and capacity allows and will look to consider this issue in the future.
Anyone considering surrogacy in the United Kingdom should read and consider Department of Health and Social Care guidance, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/having-a-child-through-surrogacy/the-surrogacy-pathway-surrogacy-and-the-legal-process-for-intended-parents-and-surrogates-in-england-and-wales
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has published advice for those considering surrogacy overseas, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surrogacy-overseas/surrogacy-overseas. This clearly sets out the possible risks and the processes for returning to the United Kingdom with a child born through an international surrogacy arrangement.
Department of Health and Social Care
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Houghton and Sunderland South, with 6.3 signatures per 1,000 electors (491 in all).
112,483 of the signatures were from the UK and 865 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton and Sunderland South | 491 | 78,448 | 6.3 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 433 | 76,438 | 5.7 |
| Cramlington and Killingworth | 384 | 76,228 | 5.0 |
| Great Yarmouth | 365 | 73,317 | 5.0 |
| Widnes and Halewood | 354 | 70,161 | 5.0 |
| Worsley and Eccles | 394 | 78,643 | 5.0 |
| Knowsley | 348 | 71,964 | 4.8 |
| Jarrow and Gateshead East | 329 | 70,272 | 4.7 |
| Liverpool Walton | 318 | 69,317 | 4.6 |
| South Leicestershire | 360 | 78,511 | 4.6 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 16,667 |
| South East | 16,349 |
| East of England | 12,547 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9,526 |
| Scotland | 9,267 |
| West Midlands | 8,993 |
| East Midlands | 8,680 |
| South West | 8,435 |
| North East | 6,878 |
| London | 6,567 |
| Wales | 6,030 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,059 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 7 September 2026. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763161.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
7f15b898baac0a0b… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.