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More than 100 surrogate babies stranded in Ukraine waiting to be claimed as pandemic halts travel

May 26, 2020

There are now more than 100 newborn surrogate babies stranded in Ukraine following Covid-19 restrictions that meant parents cannot come and claim them.

Some of the newborns are stuck due to cancelled flights, while other countries who oppose surrogacy have refused to support parents trying to get special permission to go to Ukraine.

Ukraine is one of the world's leading destinations for commercial surrogacy.

BBC reporter Jonah Fisher spoke to parents of Manu, one of the babies stuck in Ukraine, who are 13,000 kilometres away in Argentina.

Jose and Flavia decided to try surrogacy after years of failing to fall pregnant on their own and with fertility treatment.

But just as they were set to fly and meet their baby, Ukraine closed its borders and Argentina cancelled all flights amid the pandemic.

"For weeks we've been so stressed," Jose told the BBC tearfully. "Sometimes we've had hope, the rest of the time, no."

In a video call with their baby, Jose told him, "We're moving mountains to be with you, Manu. We are doing everything we can, we are not giving up."

The couple are pinning their hopes on catching a special flight from Argentina to Europe. Meanwhile, Manu is staying put in a room where he sleeps with 30 other babies waiting for their parents to come and claim them.

On the other side, Lyusyena Zayats, a surrogate mother from a poorer part of Ukraine, was paid about NZ$26,000 to give birth to a baby for an American couple.

She said she felt "interest and curiosity" for the baby she carried, but it was not a mother's love.

"I have my own child that I need to worry about," she said.

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