The International Surrogacy Forum is being held in Cape Town, South Africa, in March 2025, where lawyers, academics, law makers and advocates will meet to discuss all aspects of surrogacy across the globe.
I am excited to be speaking about surrogate compensation at the forum, and for the chance to meet colleagues from around the world that I’ve mostly only met online. I’ve been in the planning stages for several months and will publish my presentation afterwards. I’ll be speaking about the importance of regulating the surrogacy industry, and noting that the fertility industry is worth over $700 million a year in Australia, while surrogates are unpaid. I’m interested in whether introducing compensated surrogacy in Australia will make it more accessible and reduce the need for intended parents to travel overseas.
I am embarking on a Churchill Fellowship between March and May 2025, to research best practice surrogacy frameworks, to inform law reform in Australia. After leaving Cape Town, I will travel to Ireland, England, Canada and the USA, taking in conferences and meeting advocates, lobbyists, law makers, lawyers, academics and surrogates and intended parents.
There are only 130-150 surrogacy births in Australia each year, and over 300 babies born via international surrogacy for Australian intended parents. Many children born overseas are born in countries where surrogacy is unregulated, and there are risks for the babies and surrogates, and frequent allegations of human trafficking and exploitation. My Churchill Fellowship seeks to find ways to make surrogacy more accessible within Australia, to reduce the need for intended parents to travel overseas for surrogacy.
Read more about my vision for Australian surrogacy reform.
I will return to Australia in late May and will not be taking on new clients during that time. While I’m, away you can read about how to find a surrogate, or how to become a surrogate yourself. You can also download the free Surrogacy Handbook which explains the processes and options.
Sarah has published a book, More Than Just a Baby: A Guide to Surrogacy for Intended Parents and Surrogates, the only guide to surrogacy in Australia.
You can find more information by reading articles in the Blog, listening to more episodes of the Surrogacy Podcast. You can also book in for a consult with me below, and check out the legal services I provide. I’m back in the office in late May 2025.
Hi! I’m Sarah Jefford (she/her). I’m a family creation lawyer, practising in surrogacy and donor conception arrangements. I’m an IVF mum, an egg donor and a traditional surrogate, and I delivered a baby for two dads in 2018
I advocate for positive, best practice surrogacy arrangements within Australia, and provide support and education to help intended parents make informed decisions when pursuing overseas surrogacy.
