Join us to fight for equal fertility funding for surrogacy! 

@fightforsurrogacy

Those who need a surrogate on their path to parenthood should not be discriminated against when it comes to fertility funding access.

FFS (Fight For Surrogacy) are fighting for fertility funding for surrogacy which is not equally accessible across the UK, a barrier beyond the postcode lottery of IVF funding. Infertility is a recognised medical condition yet access to fertility funded support through the NHS varies drastically across the country and is almost never available where a surrogate is needed.  This is discrimination against those that cannot get pregnant and LGBT+ couples. 

• 1 in 5000 female babies are born without a womb
• There are an estimated 212,000 same-sex parents' families in the UK
• Around 55,000 hysterectomy operations are carried out in the UK each year.
• One in 10 women and people with a womb of reproductive age (between puberty and menopause) have endometriosis.
• Parental orders, which transfer legal parentage from the surrogate, rose from 117 in 2011 to 413 in 2020.

We all deserve equal access to funding. For those going through surrogacy, the cost of IVF is on top of expenses for a surrogacy journey. This makes the affordability of surrogacy inaccessible for many hopeful parents. If the ICBs can make assisted conception funding accessible for all situations, the hope of becoming a parent for anyone who cannot carry a child will be made more achievable. 

 

 

 

 

The Government has published that surrogacy is a legal route to parenthood with relevant information on governance here. Surrogacy is regulated by the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985 and Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. The government has recognised four main surrogacy organisations which help connect intended parents and surrogates legally and ethically

The FFS (Fight For Surrogacy) campaign team is a collective of registered UK charities, medical professionals, community leaders, individuals and platforms. We believe that fertility funding for surrogacy, including Iegg freezing, embryo creation, IUI and IVF, should be as equally accessible as anyone else seeking fertility funding. 

The Government has updated its resources for fertility funding policies to include a list of ICBs (Integrated Care Boards) and what is funded. Surrogacy is not included in this and as a starting point we are asking for public transparency on the lack of funding given surrogacy is a recognised and legal route to parenthood. Some ICB policies are starting to fund IUI for couples who have a womb between them but require a sperm donor, which is an amazing step forward for equality  -  we want to bridge the gap for all situations, especially where a surrogate is needed.

Our team is starting to review all ICB policies and so far, the majority have stated that the fertility treatment for surrogacy is not funded. You can see our progress with this here. For clarity, our petition is not related to the expenses paid to surrogates. 

In Scotland the access to fertility funding is outlined here, we plead the UK government to follow suit and treat people that require a surrogate to have a child the same as any other hopeful parent. 

We stand with all campaigns including Fertility Equality and Fight For IVF, who are fighting for fairness for all, no matter your situation. We have a focus on the individuals and couples who cannot physically carry a child without a surrogate, no matter your gender. We will Fight For Surrogacy and for fertility funding support because We Mind The Fertility Funding Gap!

Sign our petition if you agree that fertility funding should be equal! 

 Learn more about the people behind the campaign below or  on Instagram @fightforsurrogacy or contact us via equalinfertility@gmail.com  

Meet some of our team:  

• Ellamae Fullalove, MRKH advocate and founder of VAVA Womb
• Charlie Bishop, MRKH advocate and Director of MRKH Connect 
• Sarah Jones - CEO of Surrogacy UK
• Neelam Heera-Shergill - Speaker and Founder of UK Charity Cysters 
• Gabs Nwenwu -  Youth engagement officer at DSD Families 
• Ally Hensley - Writer, author and founder of Stigma Shakers 
• Hasna Khanam - Trustee with MRKH Connect 
• Daisy Jonas - Midwife and Mum after surrogacy 
• Carla Cressy - CEO of the Endometriosis Foundation 
• April Sharp - MRKH and Surrogacy Advocate 
• Lauren Fowler - Surrogacy advocate and founder of blog “No Womb at the inn” 

If you are interested to become a partner or share your story then we would love to hear from you equalinfertility@gmail.com