The cost of delivery: Governing gestational surrogacy in Canada

There is a lack of access to surrogacy services within Canada, restricting the reproductive freedoms of surrogates and intended parents, and pushing intended parents into international markets. This study provides a review of surrogacy issues in the Canadian context, presents case studies comparing Canada’s surrogacy policies and outcomes with those of California and the UK, and delivers original findings from twenty-four key informant interviews. Policy options to address the lack of access to surrogacy services in Canada and criteria for evaluating these options are distilled from the evidence. Analysis of the policy options finds that concerns associated with decriminalizing paid surrogacy are outweighed by the benefits such a system would deliver. It is recommended that in order to address the problem of a lack of access to surrogacy services within Canada, the federal government should move to decriminalize payments for surrogacy services.