World circumvents surrogacy laws by renting wombs in Ukraine’s war-torn regions.

Ukraine may be embroiled in what could be the ⁢beginning of another world ⁢war, but ⁣its babymaking ​and womb-rental business is booming.

More than​ 2,000 babies ​ are‌ born ‌to Ukrainian ‍surrogates each year. Despite the country’s ongoing ‌violent ⁤conflict with Russia,‌ that number doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

“We’ve been trying to make the dream of⁢ having our own child come true for 10 ‍years. It won’t be the ​bombs‌ or⁤ the war‍ that will stop us,” one Italian couple seeking a surrogate in Ukraine told The Guardian.

In Italy, much like most of Western Europe, surrogacy is illegal,‍ and the Italian parliament is on its way to criminalizing commercial surrogacy arrangements abroad. Where surrogacy ⁢bans and restrictions ​fail, however, ⁤shady ‌and⁢ exploitative Ukrainian fertility firms prevail.

Ukraine is a popular destination for people ⁣looking to buy eggs or‍ rent a womb because of its lax assisted ‍reproductive technology (ART) laws and cheap labor. Customers mostly come from countries in Western Europe, South America, ‍and Asia where ART‌ and commercial ⁤surrogacy are heavily restricted, if‌ not banned. ​But ​even American couples who have access to one ⁤of the most unregulated fertility industries in the world seek ‌the help of Eastern⁣ European companies and women to grow and deliver their babies.

Conducting reproductive business ⁣overseas, however, is no easy task. As Politico highlighted in a report this week, one California woman and her husband paid ‍$10,000 to ship two of their‍ embryos to Kyiv in an effort to⁢ avoid skyrocketing surrogacy costs in the U.S.‌ The popular Ukrainian fertility firm BioTexCom confirmed it⁢ received the shipment but‍ quickly told 45-year-old Tanya that transferring the embryos ⁢to a rented womb failed.

When⁤ Tanya’s husband, who happened to be on business⁢ in ⁤Ukraine at ​the time, stopped in to ask questions, BioTexCom reportedly ​“immediately thanked him for donating⁣ their embryos⁢ to​ another couple.” That was ⁣in 2017. To ⁤this‍ day, even⁤ after filing complaints with Interpol, Tanya and her husband still do not know what happened to their ‌unborn babies.

“The unfortunate‍ part is there’s so little that we could do about⁣ it, you know?”⁣ Tanya recalled in her interview with Politico. “That was ‌a very traumatic⁣ situation. … We’re five⁢ years down the road from the situation and I think I ‍only came to terms with it about a year ago.”

BioTexCom, which is reported to ‌control “one fourth of the global surrogacy market and 70⁢ percent⁢ of the market in Ukraine” and has more than 10,000 eggs in storage, denies Tanya’s​ story, but​ her account is not the only tragedy ‍born of this⁣ international babymaking business. ​

Profiting Off Of Poverty‍ And Pain

Ukraine’s most popular surrogacy company ⁣is⁤ plagued with allegations of exploitation, ⁢medical ‌neglect, and misconduct that have led to the switching of babies at‌ birth, deaths of unborn babies, ​surrogate mothers, life-threatening early deliveries, and‌ heartbreak‌ for all⁤ of the parties ‌involved in the transaction.

Ukrainian agencies like BioTexCom prey on young,⁣ cash-strapped⁣ women who⁣ can’t even afford to keep ​their children⁣ to birth someone⁣ else’s in exchange ‍for money. Some of​ these women, drawn⁤ into⁢ the industry by the myriad ‌of advertisements plastered on public transportation, don’t understand⁤ why they have ‍to give⁣ the children up ‍and ask their agencies​ if​ they can keep the baby they are carrying.

“It’s a terrible thing when a grown person does not belong⁣ to herself,” one Ukrainian surrogate told to the parents of the child‍ she‍ was carrying.

One unforeseen disaster of BioTexCom’s sale ⁤of outsourced reproduction was the ‌creation of “stateless” babies like Bridget. She was born‌ to a Ukrainian surrogate in the early 2010s​ due to complications but was never⁣ picked up by her​ American‍ parents. Despite ‌paying ⁣big ⁤bucks to commission the child,​ the U.S. citizens didn’t want to ⁢bring ⁢home a disabled daughter, which left‌ her‍ stranded at a children’s home and⁣ unavailable for adoption until the Ukrainian government chose to grant her citizenship⁣ years⁢ later.

Even European and American parents who intended to pick up their children faced obstacles due to Covid-19. During the height of the world’s pandemic panic, surrogates in Kyiv and its surrounding area birthed, nursed, and cared for the marooned children they ​carried for months because the biological parents could not ​travel to Ukraine.

Right​ when the Covid calamity began to die down, tensions between Russia and Ukraine flared up and made international travel into‌ the area dangerous and difficult. Hundreds more babies were stranded and designated to the care ⁤of “nannies” as bombs destroyed the land around ⁢them.

Albert ⁤Tochilovsky, BioTexCom’s owner,‍ often deflects criticism about situations like these by denying allegations or blaming other fertility firms for his company’s mistakes. Yet,⁤ over⁣ and over, ⁣investigations conclude that Ukraine’s surrogacy industry, no matter how popular, is not physically, legally, or morally sustainable.

Even Tochilovsky admits that his top priority is ⁤not ethics or even ​the‍ prevailing narrative⁢ that​ he’s⁣ helping families‍ have children;‌ it’s​ “to prohibit ⁢the intervention of law enforcement agencies‌ into ‌our work.”

Despite BioTexCom’s scandalous track‍ record, medical tourists flock to its headquarters with hopes of fulfilling their desires to ⁣start a family.

The increasingly infertile world’s yearning to commission children has either blinded ⁢them ‌to the tragedies that⁤ lie at the heart ⁣of Ukraine’s womb rental service or numbed⁣ them ⁤to it.

There’s‍ a reason so many of BioTexCom’s customers hail from countries where commercial ⁢surrogacy⁤ is ⁢banned. The practice⁤ is demonstrably harmful to ‍the unborn baby,⁢ the surrogate ‍mother,⁢ and the intended parents. Countries that allow it and customers who​ pay for it to continue, especially in such a lawless way, are only exacerbating those problems.