Christie O’Connell, instructed by Emma Dewhurst at Hall Brown Family Law, acted for the applicants in Re Z (Foreign Surrogacy) [2024] EWFC 304, securing a parental order for a same-sex couple in the face of a number of public policy issues, including the child being born in a country which did not permit same-sex surrogacy arrangements.
In the published judgment, Mrs Justice Theis DBE stated that this case “provides an important cautionary reminder of the need for those embarking on surrogacy arrangements, particularly those that cross a number of different jurisdictions, to carefully consider, in advance, the arrangements, consequences and implications of that arrangement. This is not only for the adults involved but, more importantly, for any child born as a result of such an arrangement.”
The judgment, handed down on 24 October 2024, can be found here.