Growing Families, an agency which held a Dublin "conference to explore surrogacy and egg donation options for same-sex parents" last September, offered a discount to people opting for the Mediterranean Fertility Institute in Chania, Crete which saw eight arrests take place last year.
It had described the MFI as having an "Excellent surrogate support program," with a "Large support team and most surrogacy experience of any Greek clinic." It also offered a "Discounted program for approved referrals via Growing Families..."
However a month earlier The Sunday Independent reported that
"MFI is alleged to have falsified birth records and medical documents, prepared fictitious leases and cohabitation agreements and carried out fake embryo transfers. There are also allegations that the clinic arranged sham marriages for gay men..."
"The Sunday Independent spoke to one couple based in Northern Ireland that was using MFI...
'We have paid for IVF and IVF with donor eggs there with no success,' said the Belfast-based women. 'We have embryos frozen there too. But we have no facts to present as yet.'"
Sky News in Australia reported that
“Greek police allege the clinic was a criminal organisation that exploited 169 foreign vulnerable women as egg donors or surrogates and defrauded patients through sham embryo transfers and they’re accused of brokering illegal adoptions.
“The clinic's entire medical team have been arrested and imprisoned, accused of child trafficking.”
But this was hardly news for this particular clinic at all:
German newspaper Die Zeit investigated the clinic in 2019.
"The women were 'paid' with a humiliating fee of 300 to 600 euros in order to get pregnant, while they remained locked up in various apartments in Chania, with their only exits being medical examinations to certify them as completely healthy, but also to monitor the course of pregnancy. They were also undergoing hormone therapy. According to all information, the babies were sold from 70,000 to 120,000 euros."
(translated from Greek).
RTE's PrimeTime broadcast a documentary regarding domestic and international surrogacy arrangements involving Irish couples also in September 2023. Sam Everingham of the Growing Families agency was interviewed.
Sarah McInerney: "Are there any countries do you think you could be completely confident that everything is done properly?"
Sam Everingham: "No."
Sarah McInerney: "Really?"
Sam Everingham: "Not in this area. It's an area which has got so many moving parts, we are talking about human fraility, human emotion. Human psychology. There's people out there who are motivated by greed sometimes, who are motivated just to make a buck out of this and its intending parents and surrogates who are vulnerable."
The Sunday Independent reported that Sam Everingham said the MFI scandal is likely to lead to a crackdown on unregulated surrogacy in other jurisdictions that Irish couples regularly use, such as North Cyprus.
The newspaper added that "The Growing Families website warns that Irish citizens engaging in unregulated destinations such as North Cyprus and Kenya have experienced extortion and poor levels of surrogate care." But Sam Everingham wrote in 2021 that "The events will also provide updates on success rates in newer unregulated destinations such as Cyprus, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Albania."
Minister Stephen Donnelly's spokesman commented on the issue of our surrogacy legislation:
"He said the key principles underpinning the new legislation will include the protection of the rights of all children born as a result of cross-border surrogacy arrangements and the safeguarding of the welfare of surrogate mothers."
But how can Irish legislation protect surrogates in another country? An options paper drawn up by officials to guide TDs and Senators warned:
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast [last August] University of Galway family law lecturer Dr Brian Tobin said the women involved typically originate from Eastern Europe and are "forced" to engage in egg donation and act as surrogates.
"It is quite shocking to see that happening on European soil," he said
He went on:
Dr Tobin said it will be "rather difficult" to envisage which arrangements the State will put in place to ensure that the jurisdictions are acting "entirely ethically".
"It's very difficult for any State to ensure that what is happening elsewhere is in compliance with Irish domestic human rights standards and ethical obligations," he said.
The Australian 27th August 2023:
