The war has thrown Ukraine’s surrogacy industry into crisis

began falling on Ukraine in February one woman from the centre of the country faced an especially perilous evacuation. She was 30 weeks pregnant—with someone else’s baby. The 31-year-old, who goes by the name Tamara for fear of abuse, was put on a bus to Poland by Delivering Dreams, the surrogacy agency she was working through. Her legs swelled up during the long journey. But Tamara made it to safety and in April gave birth to a healthy baby, who is now with its intended parents in America. Before the war about 2,500 surrogate mothers gave birth in Ukraine every year, according to Sam Everingham, who runs Growing Families, a non-profit. The babies’ intended parents are generally foreign couples, mostly from Europe and China. They appreciate Ukraine’s clear laws about surrogacy, which ensure that they are recognised as their baby’s legal parents from the moment of conception. They also like the cost. Mr Everingham reckons that having a baby by a Ukrainian surrogate costs between $35,000 and $55,000—about one-third of the price in America.