Surrogate motherhood - how not to be deceived

1. 🩺 Scandal around surrogate motherhood and the company Biotex
2. 🤰 How to avoid being cheated, if you plan to use surrogate motherhood in Ukraine?
3. ⭐ If you still contacted the swindlers and got into a bad situation, where to go?

Recently, surrogate motherhood in Ukraine has become increasingly in demand. Indeed, thanks to the use of this reproductive technology, many childless married couples have the opportunity to become parents. The high level of medical technologies and the reasonable price for this service make our country attractive for foreign customers. But, unfortunately, along with the popularity of surrogate motherhood, cases of deception have become frequent, when people fall into the trap of questionable agencies or face unscrupulous companies, and eventually remain without money and without a child. So recently in Italy and Ukraine a big scandal broke out around the company Biotex (BioTexCom). In the media and the Internet there was a lot of information about this.

The fact also raises the question: Instead of giving a detailed and documented answer to such publications, a "mop-up" of such information is being conducted.

Scandal around surrogate motherhood and the company Biotex

The story with Biotex (BioTexCom) is rather confusing, because the company's employees and the affected couple are saying different things. But the result of their cooperation is very sad. The child, who was born in Ukraine allegedly within the confines of the surrogate motherhood program, was not recognized in Italy and sent to an orphanage. Complicating the situation was the fact that the DNA analysis did not show the genetic relationship of the child with the man from this couple, although under the terms of the agreement, the sperm of the man had to participate in the fertilization of the egg, and therefore a part of the DNA had to coincide.

Now a criminal case has been opened against Biotex. It is suspected of machinations and even child trafficking. After all, it is likely that Biotex simply bought the "unnecessary" newborn child from a woman from a low-income family, and the Italian family was convinced that this is their own kid, who was gestated by a surrogate mother. This could explain the mismatch in the DNA analysis.

And this is not the first scandal with Biotex (BioTexCom). Reviews about this company, which can be found on the Internet are quite negative. In the edition "20 minutes" a story of a girl who collaborated with Biotex as a surrogate mother was described, she said that she had been infected with hepatitis B. There are other unflattering comments about Biotex (BioTexCom). How much they are truthful is hard to understand. But the story with the Italian couple, which reached the court both in Ukraine and Italy, indicates the seriousness of the situation.

The final decision on this issue will be given by law enforcement agencies. But such situations cast a shadow on other surrogate motherhood clinics in Ukraine, working honestly in accordance with all Ukrainian and international norms and clearly adhering to the letter of the law.

We in the Feskov human reproduction group believe that an unfair attitude, both to clients and to women who provide surrogate motherhood services, is unacceptable! Reproductive services require the application of the most accurate technologies and the highest qualification of the personnel. But the absolute honesty and transparency of relations with clients must also be a prerequisite. Any manipulation and dishonesty in the relationship between the clinic and the rest of the participants are unacceptable! Children are the greatest value! They can in no case be the subject of bargaining or sale!

How to avoid being cheated, if you plan to use surrogate motherhood in Ukraine?

Single cases of unscrupulous work in the sphere of surrogate motherhood in Ukraine should not prevent those who want to use this effective reproductive service in our country. But in order to avoid deception, you must carefully approach the selection of the surrogate motherhood clinic with which you are going to cooperate.

What to look for when choosing a surrogate motherhood clinic:

• Carefully read the information about the clinic, learn about work experience, the range of services that they offer, the experience of working with other countries. The clinic should have well-established programs for surrogate motherhood, specialists of the highest category who can perform all necessary procedures.
• Pay attention first and foremost to centers that offer a full range of medical and legal services. There are agencies that only pick up surrogate mothers or provide only legal services - it is better not to contact them. It is much more reliable to deal with companies offering the whole range of services from choosing a surrogate mother to obtaining a birth certificate for a child.
• Carefully study the price of services. The company must clearly identify all services, designate all medical procedures and detail the prices.
• Ensure that all important points of the agreement are written in the contract, all medical and legal issues are taken into account. The duties and responsibilities of the surrogate mother, biological parents and clinic should be detailed and clearly defined.
• Check the documents of several companies that accept invoices, check the licenses for medical activities.
• It is good, if the company will provide an opportunity to make extra security. So in the Feskov human reproduction group, for example, in the contract there is such an item as insurance, which ensures that customers to not lose money and get the desired result.
• If you want to be sure that your child will have your genes, you will need an additional service - a genetic examination, which you must also write in the contract.

 Clients who come for reproductive services often do not advertise it. Nevertheless, even in the case of surrogate motherhood, "word of mouth" can also help make the right choice.

And of course, do not forget about such an important factor as the reputation of the clinic. The clinic should have a name in the market of services, have a good building and a respectable look.

When you choose a clinic or company, look at how open they are, whether they put staff on the site. Check through Facebook whether or not there are people listed on the site as employees. It's quite easy to make a website today, but it's very difficult to create a really working clinic and it takes many years. Choose the present existing figures of this market, and not the "virtual" clinics. So, for example, on the sites of Biotex (BioTexCom), Lavitanova, New Life there are no employees. This indicates that people are constantly changing there or, as often happens, one translator works for three agencies.

It is best, when the clinic has European constituent documents, has accounts abroad, since in that case you can officially demand something, and the court decision in your country will have force for this clinic. If they accept payment only to Ukraine, or only by cash payment, and for a bank transfer require additional payment from you, most likely they are scammers, and in case of deception you can not even use these invoices for the insurance company to return some of the funds.

Only five clinics are accredited in Ukraine! Choose among them, do not contact little-known companies, even if they promise you super-beneficial conditions!

If you still contacted the swindlers and got into a bad situation, where to go?

In Ukraine, surrogate motherhood services are officially authorized at the legislative level. Accordingly, if you understand that there is a deception, you wanted to use the "surrogate motherhood" service, but contacted the swindlers and were left without a child and without money, contact law enforcement agencies and state bodies responsible for health and medicine. If you have documentary evidence of your rightness, then you can reasonably prove your point of view and through the court to achieve justice. The court can be held both at the location of the company and at the place of the affected party.

In order to quickly suppress the activities of swindlers, leave feedback on the sites, especially on the site-aggregators, where you can find reviews of various clinics with comments. Also write a review on Google maps.

Involve the media! This will help create a public resonance and it will be easier for you to achieve justice.

However, the best option is to prevent negative effects. Approach the issue of choosing the clinic as thoroughly as possible, cooperate with trusted reliable companies. So you can use the services of surrogate motherhood in Ukraine without deceit and disappointment and achieve your cherished goal - the birth of a child.

Authors, contributors:

Vladyslav Feskov
Chief of the Surrogate motherhood Center of professor Feskov

published: 27 August 2018
updated   : 02 March 2023

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