Finland’s political parties back legalisation of non-commercial surrogacy

A clear majority of Finland’s parliamentary parties support legalising non-commercial surrogacy, according to a new survey by LGBTQ+ family association Sateenkaariperheet and infertility support group Simpukka.

Surrogacy was banned in Finland in 2007, forcing families seeking the option to travel abroad—a process that can cost up to €200,000 and involves complex bureaucracy. Despite the ban, advocacy groups estimate dozens of surrogate-born children are delivered in Finland each year through informal arrangements.

Personal story sparks debate
Ulla Kalmanlehto became a surrogate for her sister in the late 1990s after witnessing her struggle with infertility and multiple miscarriages. During a family visit, Kalmanlehto—already a single mother of two—offered to carry a child for her sister using the couple’s embryos. The daughter she delivered in 1997 is now 28 years old.

At the time, surrogacy was legal in Finland, but the 2007 Fertility Treatment Act criminalised the practice. Kalmanlehto called the ban “a huge disappointment,” questioning why lawmakers would prevent people from helping others build families. “Medicine has advanced—why forbid doing good?” she said.

Political momentum grows
Efforts to revisit the law gained traction under former Green League justice minister Tuija Brax in 2011, when an ethics council concluded that legalisation would have more benefits than risks. The issue resurfaced in Sanna Marin’s government (2019–2023), but a ministry report on potential reforms was only finalised in 2024. Most respondents favoured legalising non-commercial surrogacy—where the surrogate is reimbursed only for actual expenses, unlike commercial surrogacy, which involves significant payment.

The current centre-right government led by Petteri Orpo (National Coalition Party) has not included surrogacy in its programme. However, the new survey reveals broad cross-party support: the Social Democrats, National Coalition, Left Alliance, Greens, and Swedish People’s Party all back legalisation. The Centre Party is still formulating its position, while the Christian Democrats remain opposed. The Finns Party and Movement Now did not respond.

Calls for regulated framework
Piia Savio, executive director of Simpukka, emphasised that surrogacy should be treated as a healthcare procedure with clear legal safeguards. Kalmanlehto, who described her own surrogacy as emotionally demanding, compared the surrogate’s role to that of a healthcare professional, requiring commitment to a healthy lifestyle and fair compensation for lost income and pension contributions.

“As a surrogate, I felt an enormous responsibility,” she recalled. “I owed it to them not to fail—what if the world let them down again?”