# Ethical, medico-legal and financial aspects of the legalization of surrogate maternity in Bulgaria

## TL;DR

This survey explores public opinions on the ethical, legal, and financial aspects of legalizing surrogacy in Bulgaria.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into societal attitudes toward potential legal frameworks for surrogacy in Bulgaria.

## Key findings

- Participants believe surrogate mothers should be compensated only for direct pregnancy-related costs.
- The study highlights the need to limit surrogate mothers' rights in favor of intended parents.
- The survey reflects public interest in the ethical and legal implications of legalizing surrogacy.

## Abstract

The legalization of surrogacy and reproductive choices is a possible solution for childless families and the specialists in this area prove that this is a great challenge and responsibility. There are many issues on the topic: medical, ethical, as well as socio-psychological, legal and financial. The aim of present survey is to study and analyse the attitudes of society regarding some medical, social and economic and law aspects related to the legalization of surrogate maternity in Bulgaria. An anonymous survey was conducted involving 387 people. The data was collected via a pen and paper questionnaire pack. The initiative has provoked wide public interest. According to the participants in the present study, in the event of it being legalized, surrogate maternity should not become a profession, a source of surplus income for the surrogate mother, but the costs directly related to the pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery should be compensated. The rights of the surrogate mother regarding custody of the child after birth and abortion rights should be limited in favor of the intended parents. The aspects discussed concern only the projected legal framework of surrogate maternity in Bulgaria, because at the present, the Bill has not been adopted.