A lot of people consider surrogacy as a radical idea. Whereas there are always changes in terms of the legal and medical sides of gestational surrogacy, traditional surrogacy has been practiced for thousands of years. In fact, the bible even points an ancient precedent of traditional surrogacy in Genesis – Sarah, who was infertile asked her handmaiden, Hagar, to carry her husband’s, Abraham’s, child.
 

While traditional surrogacy has been practiced for decades and centuries, gestational surrogacy has developed much more recently. In 1978, the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) baby was born. Just after five years, in 1982, the first baby from an egg donation was born. The combination of these two innovations resulted in the emergence of gestational surrogacy, which was first performed in 1985 and has grown in popularity over the past 20 years.

In 1986, surrogacy encountered its first real legal hurdle when upon giving birth to the child, a traditional surrogate decided that she wanted to keep the child. A two-year-long legal battle between the surrogate and the intended parents eventually resulted in the intended parents retaining custody. As the practice of gestational surrogacy continued to grow, this landmark case, referred to as ‘the Baby M case,’ sparked many legal questions in many countries around the world. Nowadays surrogacy is legal in several countries including the country of Georgia where our agency, Medvisit Global is located; however, intended parents from countries where surrogacy is illegal may travel abroad to legally have a child through surrogacy.

In 1999, surrogacy took another step to evolution in terms of the Special Program of Assisted Reproduction (SPAR). This program allows an HIV-positive man to become the biological parent of his children without transmitting the disease.

Even couple of years ago, in 2011 some surrogacy records were broken when 61 year-old surrogacy mother carried and delivered her own grandchild. 

Surrogacy, both traditional and gestational has helped and saved families for centuries. The practice has developed from a rarely documented occurrence thousands of years ago, to a rapidly growing and viable option for having children.