Surrogacy in Greece: ‘You know they are not your children’

L.D., aged 32, gave birth to twins by caesarean section in September. The midwives did not place the newborns on her chest, as is customary. There were other arms waiting for them with anxiety, love and emotion, a few floors above. Those of 37-year-old F.P. and her husband. They had been trying to become parents for years but one miscarriage followed another. F.P. had six miscarriages in total, and the doctors had told the couple that surrogate pregnancy was the only way to have a biological child.

L.D. already had two children of her own, two girls aged 14 and 8. When she heard that there was a demand for surrogate mothers, she first discussed it with her husband. The money would give their family a breather (according to Greek law, for a twin pregnancy the amount of compensation is 25,000 euros, although the actual amount paid is often higher), but it was not only that. ...