Marianna provided Parliamentary researchers with a balanced, evidence-led overview to support informed public discussion.

Surrogacy is an arrangement where a woman (surrogate) gestates and gives birth to a child for another person/couple (intended parents). Whilst surrogacy is a vital method of family formation, it currently works despite – rather than thanks to – the UK’s outdated laws. Currently, the surrogate is the legal mother at birth forcing the intended parents into a court process to transfer parenthood. The delays and uncertainties associated with this system often drives families abroad where conflicting international laws and complex immigration rules can leave children trapped, parentless and stateless.

Dr Marianna Iliadou, Assistant Professor in Law, submitted evidence to a ‘call for contributions’ on surrogacy by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) in September 2025 for independent, evidence-based analysis for both Houses of Parliament. Dr Iliadou was subsequently asked to expand on her expertise in international surrogacy and the cross-border legal challenges it presents via a series of specific questions – and again in December 2025 to act as an external expert reviewer for the official briefing to ensure technical accuracy and impartiality. The final report was published on 25 February 2026.

Dr Iliadou’s contribution highlighted a critical regulatory gap: whilst the Law Commission has proposed important domestic reforms to recognise intended parents at birth, their proposals left international surrogacy largely unaddressed. Beyond the legal status of the child, Dr Iliadou raised the issue of the protection of surrogates abroad, ie. that without proactive regulation, women in low-income countries face risks of exploitation through unfair contracts or lack of true consent. Emphasising that current UK policy relies on ‘sticking plaster’ solutions which utilise court interventions only after a child is born, she urged Parliament to move toward proactive regulation that prevents both legal limbo for families and the potential exploitation of women.

Dr Iliadou said:

“I am really pleased to have contributed to and reviewed this POSTnote on surrogacy for the UK Parliament. I was also glad to help provide the Parliamentary researchers with a balanced, evidence-led overview to support informed public discussion.

“With increasing misconceptions driving public debate surrounding surrogacy, it is vital to ensure that future policy is grounded in rigorous evidence rather than polarised rhetoric, providing the nuance required to protect all parties involved.”

Dr Iliadou’s contribution was possible due to her long-term research into how the law treats families formed through surrogacy. Looking at how international human rights - such as a child’s right to a nationality under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - are often ignored by rigid domestic laws, she has critiqued the way the European Court of Human Rights focus too much on genetics, which can discriminate against parents who don't have a biological link to their child.

Dr Iliadou has also been looking at global efforts to reach an international agreement for the legal recognition of parentage across borders through the 'Parentage/Surrogacy Project' of the Hague Conference.

This work directly informs Dr Iliadou’s research-led teaching on Family Law and Healthcare Law modules providing students with ‘live’ examples of how academic research interacts with the legislative process and how current legal frameworks struggle to adapt to modern family structures.

POSTnotes are a source of independent briefing for MPs and Peers.

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