Risa Bovitall

Please be precise: He mocked his sister – who is the surrogate – while she was going through the pain of labor. She is standing right beside him, while he is lying on the bed.

Delicious to see Labour’s man in Scotland working himself into a frenzy, not knowing that the President messaged John Swinney last night to congratulate him on his role in the deal - followed by a call today. The difference between a Scottish Leader and a Unionist follower.

Four reasons to retain this fundamental protection rooted in biology, ethics, and child welfare. Removing it would fundamentally alter the status of motherhood and risk commodifying both women and children. Time to ask our MPs to support mothers. 1. Biological and gestational reality: Pregnancy and birth create a profound physical and psychological bond. Every mother undergoes immense physical risks, hormonal changes, and potential long-term health impacts. Automatically stripping her of legal motherhood at birth denies this reality and treats her body as a mere incubator. In the UK the law correctly prioritises her as the default legal parent. 2. Consent and regret protection: Surrogacy arrangements, even altruistic ones, can involve coercion, changing circumstances, or unforeseen emotional realities. A surrogate might initially agree but later bond with the child or face pressure. The current system gives her a window of agency: she must actively consent to the transfer. Pre-birth or automatic transfer removes this, pressuring vulnerable women (often from lower socioeconomic backgrounds) into irreversible decisions. 3. Child’s rights and identity: Children have a right to clarity about their true mother. Automatic transfer risks erasing the surrogate’s legal role entirely, potentially complicating issues of medical history, identity, or future disputes. It also creates a legal fiction at birth that could undermine the child’s stability if disputes arise. The parental order process ensures judicial oversight precisely to protect the child, not convenience for adults. 4. Preventing commodification: The petition essentially pushes toward a commercial model where women are reduced to “service providers” and children to “products” ordered by intended parents. The law has protected surrogate mothers for a long time for good reason- it is time to educate our MPs about this.