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The best surrogacy agency europe and leading surrogacy law firm uk
At our law firm specializing in surrogacy, we make the impossible possible.
Surrogacy is our life
Our mission is unequivocally clear: to make your dream of welcoming a child a reality. Parenthood is a fundamental journey that no one should have to surrender unless by their own conviction. As dedicated surrogacy lawyers and family advocates, we are not merely going to try; we are going to make it happen, ensuring you bring your baby home no matter what hurdles arise.
Gestlife belongs to the esteemed American INVESTMEDICAL group, a specialist entity whose core mission is to provide precise legal and clinical counsel, facilitating the goal of parenthood for individuals who, for various reasons, have not yet had the opportunity to achieve it. As a highly trusted ethical surrogacy agency uk families turn to, we stand as the only European organisation maintaining our own physical offices across 11 countries, supported by a dedicated team of more than 200 professionals.
Our Ethical Code is a decalogue of non-exclusive values that guide our professional activity and our relationship with our clients, collaborators and society as a whole.
That every morning you see the smiling face of your baby that gives a new meaning to your life and fills it with colour and enthusiasm to live again, is our leitmotiv.
We are big, because we don’t play with important things. Your surrogacy process is our commitment.
Our Process
Gestlife has been awarded the European Gold Medal for Merit at Work, awarded by the president of the European Economic and Competitiveness Association, amongst other awards received in recent years.
Gestlife has been awarded the European Gold Medal for Merit at Work, awarded by the president of the European Economic and Competitiveness Association, who presented the company’s representative with the European Gold Medal for Merit at Work, in special recognition of the group’s long history in the defence of civil rights, recognised as a ‘pioneering and prestigious multidisciplinary law firm’ by the Association.
The European Economic and Competitiveness Association was born with the aim of promoting, developing and recognising the mechanisms of companies that encourage good business development within the European framework and the awareness of entrepreneurship and good work. The European Association for Economy and Competitiveness is led by its President José Luis Barceló (editor and president of the newspaper El Mundo Financiero), and counts amongst its Board of Directors, reputed members of civil society such as Enrique Cerezo Torres (Businessman and President of Atlético de Madrid), Kike Sarasola (businessman and founder of Room Mates Hotels, Professor José María Gay de Liébana (Doctor in Economic Sciences and Law, and Professor at the University of Barcelona, or Professor Juan José Enríquez Barbé, Dean of the College of Economists of Valencia.
This remarkable milestone represents the fifth major award received by our surrogacy lawyers and legal services division in under a year. Furthermore, last year our dedicated surrogacy law firm uk services were awarded the prestigious GOLD STAR by the Institute for Professional Excellence, acknowledging our rigorous professional standards and unwavering commitment to legal excellence.
GestLife is endorsed by Asociación de Padres Por la Gestación Subrogada (Association of Parents for Surrogacy).
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Ethical Code
Our code of ethics
Who does it affect?
Who is affected by this code of ethics on surrogacy? Gestlife® as well as all subsidiaries of the INVESTMEDICAL group make sure that all their staff, including the management, as well as their partners abroad comply with the following code of ethics and are aware of it.
Corporate values
1. Independence
We operate with total structural independence. As a direct ethical surrogacy agency uk, we do not operate as middlemen, nor do we extract hidden commissions from external entities. We owe no hierarchical loyalty to foreign brokerages or independent clinics, allowing us to exclusively and fiercely defend the interests of our intended parents.
It is strictly forbidden within our firm to accept kickbacks or commissions from overseas clinics. Our true clients are the resilient individuals determined to become parents against all odds. Our absolute allegiance belongs solely to them, never to third-party commercial interests.
2. Professional rigour and ethical conduct
The comprehensive team at Gestlife and its global subsidiaries is not exclusively composed of surrogacy lawyers. Our permanent workforce of over 180 specialists incorporates vital professionals from various scientific disciplines, including psychologists, gynaecologists, embryologists, and leading medical doctors, all of whom are indispensable to a successful gestational journey.
Every individual employed by Gestlife is rigorously vetted for their extensive experience and exceptional professional competence. Every action undertaken in the execution of their daily duties must be unconditionally governed by professional rigour, ethical responsibility, and clinical precision.
All staff members are contractually bound to conduct themselves honestly and ethically in strict adherence to this code, prioritising absolute professional secrecy above all else.
3. Quality and continuous improvement
We are non-conformist and critical of our own work. The ‘Inspection, development and constant improvement department’ is responsible for methodically and repeatedly reviewing all the company’s procedures over time, verifying the maintenance of quality standards, as well as the implementation of changes that result in a possible improvement of the services provided to parents, surrogates and donors.
We are committed to quality in all our actions, both internally and externally, affecting the entire team. We encourage change and continuous improvement of structures, processes and systems. Our strategy is based on a job well done and the collaboration of the whole team.
4. Globality and internationalisation
Our vocation is international, transnational and multicultural. Our team is made up of people of different nationalities and they work continuously and with a common goal in different countries.
Regarding our clients
1. Integrity
We work with and for people. Caring for them is our number one goal and our reason for being, so we will accompany them every step of the way to make the process easier, providing psychological support if needed.
We remain fully and consciously dedicated to our clients, guaranteeing their complex needs are satisfied in strict accordance with the values embedded in this code. We are acutely aware of the multifaceted personal and social implications inherent in these journeys. Our entire support staff and surrogacy lawyers undergo highly specialised training to expertly advise and protect our clients. Importantly, our duty does not conclude until your newborn is safely back in your home country, fully registered and legally recognised, with our legal team handling all consular procedures upon request.
2. Honesty and objectivity
We do not depend on third-party intermediaries, nor do we have conflicting external interests to protect. Our clinical and legal recommendations are meticulously tailored to your specific profile, taking into account your precise economic, medical, and personal circumstances. As surrogacy legal experts, the counsel we provide must remain entirely objective, strictly verified, and consistently up to date. Absolute clarity and truthfulness dictate all of our client communications.
3. Confidentiality
We uphold a standard of absolute anonymity (unless explicitly instructed otherwise by the client) for families navigating a surrogacy process uk, guaranteeing discretion before, during, and long after the journey concludes. Any non-public information concerning Gestlife, its internal operations, staff, clients, and medical suppliers remains strictly classified. All employees access this sensitive data solely to execute their specific professional duties. Our entire infrastructure is designed to keep your family’s information exceptionally secure, treating all personal data in strict compliance with current European data protection legislation.
4. Tolerance and respect for diversity
Our customers are as diverse as our employees. The relationship with our customers must be built on the values of tolerance, full equality and respect for diversity. All our customers are treated without discrimination and we provide solutions for each of their personal needs and interests.
5. Trust
Nobody likes to go on a journey alone. The process we undertake is a complex and long journey, so the relationship with our clients must be based on mutual trust. Gestlife® assigns each family a ‘personal manager’ who accompanies them throughout the process. The manager must carry out their functions in a way that is close to the client, understanding their needs, resolving their doubts and guiding them throughout the process. We hold your hand throughout the whole process, and do not let go, until you have returned to your country of origin and your child is duly registered in the civil registry. GestLife® is committed to providing a comprehensive service to its clients by offering more and better services every day. Our clients’ problems are our problems. Problems can always arise, but our obligation is to offer one or several solutions, which irrevocably lead to the desired goal.
6. Transparency
We maintain a policy of absolute transparency, informing at all times, from the moment we become aware of it, any information that affects the client. We are the only company in Europe that allows you, through Gestlife’s exclusive software, INFONOW, to access your file 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, where you can read all the steps taken, consignments, ultrasound scans, medical analysis… other agencies tell you as and when they want. Communication with our clients must be continuous with the commitment to send a weekly report as a minimum. In a process that requires a significant investment, we account for every penny spent on behalf of the client.
Regarding surrogate mothers
Surrogate mothers are treated with the same protocol of care as the commissioning parents, without distinction or preference.
1. Legal advice
Surrogate mothers have the right to legal advice on the process, carried out by lawyers other than those assigned to the commissioning parents. This counselling service shall be extended for up to one year after the end of the procedure.
2. Psychological support service
Surrogate mothers are entitled to a psychological support service provided by a company psychologist for any help they may need in this area. This service is extended for up to two years after the birth of the child.
3. Comfort and well-being
The comfort and well-being of the surrogate mother is paramount, and therefore if a surrogate comes from a city other than the city where the clinic where the assisted reproduction process is to be carried out is located, she will be provided with accommodation and a diet for her food, so that she can always rest when she arrives in the city before the treatment.
4. Babysitting service
If the surrogate mother has a minor child who still requires care, the surrogate mother will have access to babysitting services for times when she must be away for medical treatments.
5. Financial compensation
Surrogate mother have the right to fair financial compensation, commensurate with the compensation they pay in other countries in relation to their standard of living. Gestlife® will openly and vigorously combat the exploitation of surrogates by some clinics, where they may receive inhumane, humiliating, discriminatory, or exploitative treatment.
Implementation, monitoring and control
Implementation of our surrogacy Ethical Code
This code will be implemented and communicated in accordance with the instructions of the Management of Gestlife®. The Management undertakes to monitor compliance with this code and will settle the consequences that may involve the violation of the same. Finally, it will establish deadlines and procedures for control, revision and updating of the code.
The Ethical Code and deontology also controls the professional and ethical standards when performing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and Surrogacy (GS) treatments. The Code is used as a point of reference for all fertility centres we work with in order to seek and ensure the highest standard of practice for all staff involved in clinical activities as well as ethical/moral medical dilemmas.
The Ethical Code is based on the four main principles that exist in modern medicine:
- First, do no harm (primum non nocere): The safety and health of patients is the most important value in medicine. Health professionals must always ensure that no harm is done to patients.
- Beneficence: Health professionals must always act in the best interest of the patient, doing everything in their power to improve patients’ health status and quality of life. They are expected to choose the most appropriate and beneficial methods of treatment.
- Autonomy: Patients must have the full right to make a free and independent decision when considering medical treatment. Consent to treatment shall be sought only on the basis of clear and balanced information provided by physicians.
- Fairness: all patients must be treated equally and have similar access to medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. e. Frequent technological and scientific advances in the field of fertility medicine constantly raise new ethical dilemmas.
The Ethical Code will be a dynamic document that will require continuous development as new issues arise.
Key Principles
The Key Principles provide a clear statement of the good medical standards that underpin the delivery of care within INVESTMEDICAL Fertility Centres. These Key Standards serve as a means of communication for staff, patients, donors, donor-conceived persons and the public with whom INVESTMEDICAL Fertility Centres engage.
- We will treat potential and current patients and donors fairly and will not unlawfully discriminate against them.
- We will have due regard for the privacy, confidentiality, dignity, comfort and well-being of patients and donors.
- We will have due respect for the special status of the embryo when performing clinical and laboratory procedures.
- We will give due regard to the welfare of any child born as a result of treatment provided by INVESTMEDICAL clinics.
- We will provide potential and current patients and donors with sufficient, accessible and up-to-date information to enable them to make informed decisions.
- We will ensure that patients and donors have provided all relevant consents prior to carrying out any authorised activity.
- We will conduct all activities with appropriate skill and care and in an appropriate environment, in accordance with good clinical practice, to ensure optimal outcomes and minimal risk to patients, donors, and offspring.
- We will ensure that all facilities, equipment, processes and procedures used in the conduct of authorised activities are safe and fit for purpose.
- We will ensure that all personnel engaged in the authorised activity are competent and recruited in sufficient numbers to ensure safe clinical and laboratory practice.
- Maintain correct and accurate records and information on all clinical and laboratory activities.
- We shall maintain records of all adverse incidents (including serious adverse events and reactions) and investigate all complaints appropriately and share lessons learned throughout the organisation.
- We will ensure that all authorised research undertaken meets appropriate ethical standards, and is only carried out when there is clear scientific justification.
- We will conduct all activities with due regard to the regulatory frameworks governing gamete or embryo treatment and research within the particular country in which services are provided.
The following section explores a number of specific situations encountered in the provision of fertility services that raise ethical issues of concern for professional staff and service users. It provides a brief background, highlights key issues and sets out a policy for practice related to the Key Principles
The moral status of the pre-implantation embryo
The pre-implantation embryo is a symbol of human life. This special status of the embryo shall be properly respected when performing Assisted Reproductive Technology treatments, reflecting a responsible attitude towards the child that will be born as a result of these treatments.
The pre-implantation embryo cannot reach its potential to become a foetus and potentially a child unless it is transferred into the uterus. Therefore, the attitude towards the pre-implantation and post-implantation stages should be classified according to their potential to lead to the development of a human being.
The management of cryopreserved pre-implanted embryos and the fate of surplus embryos
After an IVF cycle, 1-2 of the previously created embryos are transferred into the patient’s uterus, while the remaining good quality embryos are cryopreserved. In some cases, when patients have not expressed their wishes about the fate of their embryos and cannot be contacted, surplus cryopreserved embryos are stored, causing problems in the fertility clinic due to high maintenance costs.
Cryopreserved pre-implanted embryos represent the first stage of human life, their primary use will be for the original couple, but the option of donation to another couple or research is also accepted.
- At all INVESTMEDICAL Fertility centres, an agreement is signed with the intended parents prior to the start of treatment on the fate of the cryopreserved supernumerary embryos; this includes a request to keep them for the couple, including the obligation to cover the costs, and consent to donate them to another couple or for research. Within the contract/consent for storage, it is imperative that patients agree to inform the clinic of any changes in contact details. The consent should make reference to the issue of embryo management if couples separate.
- Preimplantation embryos may be offered for donation only after appropriate medical evaluation of the donor couple and after counselling and consent of both partners.
Oocyte donation
When a woman cannot use her own eggs for IVF, donor eggs can be used instead. Young, fertile women are willing to donate their eggs. Donors are usually given compensation to cover their efforts. Short-term medical risks (due to the hormones used for ovarian hyperstimulation, anaesthesia and the surgical procedure) and unknown potential long-term health outcomes may be associated with the egg donation process.
- All egg donors and recipients will be informed about possible legal, medical, and emotional issues involved in egg donation.
- An egg donor may receive compensation to reasonably cover any financial loss incurred in relation to the donation.
- Donors should be offered the option of entering the egg donation programme as an identifiable or anonymous donor, but are encouraged to remain identifiable in the interest of the resulting child or children.
- Donors will be informed that they no longer have dispositional control over their oocytes once they have been retrieved, and that they have no legal rights or duties to raise the resulting children.
- Donors will be informed that they will be screened for infectious diseases and other health-related risk factors, which will be provided with the test results, and will be referred for further counselling or medical care if necessary after the screening.
INVESMEDICAL has a duty to provide written information on the manner and timing of conception both to the recipient and to other health professionals involved in the recipient’s care upon request.
Pre-conception gender selection for medical reasons
After natural conception, the probability that a child will be of a particular gender is approximately 50%. Individuals may wish to choose the sex of their baby for medical or non-medical reasons:
- Medical reasons: to avoid or reduce the risk of inheriting genetic diseases known to affect children of a specific sex or diseases that show unequal sexual incidence.
- Non-medical reasons: social or economic reasons for preferring a child of a specific sex over the other, sex balance where there are already only boys or predominantly of one sex:
- Sex selection should be allowed if it is intended to avoid risks to the health of offspring, including reducing the chances of a child being affected by a disorder with unequal sexual incidence.
- Gender selection for non-medical reasons is not accepted. It is also not accepted when it can be applied as an additional selection in the context of medically indicated PGD/PGS Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis procedures.
Fertility treatments when the prognosis is hopeless or very poor
Patients may reach a point where their chances of achieving a live birth are very low or non-existent. Some of these patients find it difficult to discontinue treatment. These situations can lead to conflicts of interest between physicians and their patients. While patients will try anything to have a child and may wish to make autonomous decisions regarding medical treatments, physicians have professional interests in minimising harm and avoiding the frustration (and cost) of providing virtually useless treatments.
Child welfare in medically assisted reproduction
Fertility treatments treat or prevent medical problems that may be interfering with the ability to have children. Fertility specialists usually focus on the medical aspects of the situation, but are sometimes confronted with patients who do not seem well suited to provide safe and appropriate care for children. Concerns about parenting capacity and the possibility of causing significant harm to a future child are legitimate.
- Those seeking treatment are entitled to a fair assessment. The wishes of all involved shall be taken into account and the assessment shall be conducted in a non-discriminatory manner.
- Services may be withheld on the basis of well-founded judgments of the patient’s inability to provide minimally adequate or safe care for the offspring. The assessment of the patient’s inability to care for a child or the potential for harm to a child should be made jointly among the different professionals on the team, always including an independent opinion. The psychological assessment should be complemented in some cases by social work professionals.
- Persons with disabilities should not be denied fertility services solely because of their disability.
Medically assisted reproduction in single, lesbian and gay and transgender couples
Medically assisted reproduction is mainly offered to heterosexual couples (whether married or in a stable relationship). However, there are increasing numbers of requests from single people and people with other sexual identities, including lesbian (lesbian) couples, gay (homosexual) couples and, more recently, transgender men and women. Reproduction is a basic element of people’s autonomy regardless of sexual orientation.
Medically assisted reproduction in the situations described above is morally good in many cases. There is no good reason to rule out a priori access in these situations. Health is defined not only by medical facts but also by social conventions and justifications. Medically assisted reproduction in these cases can be seen in this broader sense.
- INVESTMEDICAL fertility clinics will always take into account the legal frameworks in the countries where they operate, while fulfilling their mission to assist those who wish to procreate and create a family.
- If there are concerns about the implications of assisted reproduction on the welfare of any of the persons involved, including the prospective child, a surrogate mother or the applicants themselves, these concerns should be carefully considered in the light of the available evidence.
Surrogacy
A gestational carrier (surrogate) is a woman who carries a child that has no genetic relationship to herself, for a person or couple who intend to be the legal parent of that child. Initially, gestational surrogacy was applied to cases of intended opposite-sex parents who had fertility or medical problems that prevented the female partner from carrying the pregnancy.
Today, the process is also used for individuals and same-sex couples who wish to become parents:
- Surrogacy can be facilitated through assisted reproductive technology, but only if it is permitted by legislation within the country where the centre operates.
- Legal agreements must be in place to spell out and then protect the roles and responsibilities of each participant.
- The surrogate must be at least 21 years of age, healthy, have a stable social environment and have had at least one pregnancy that resulted in the birth of a child.
- It is the duty of the attending physician to inform all parties of the medical, social, psychological, emotional, moral, and legal issues related to surrogacy.
- Where local laws and regulations permit, surrogate mothers should receive fair and reasonable financial compensation.
- Surrogates have the right to receive adequate medical care during treatment and throughout the pregnancy.
- Surrogate mothers shall be assessed and receive appropriate counselling to consider the potential impact of surrogacy on their own families.
- The same precautions should be implemented as for gamete donation, including screening for infectious diseases (HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C) and those deemed appropriate by the physician.
- Only one or two embryos of good quality will be transferred as a general rule, and in no case more than 3 embryos may be transferred.
