Increase in 'Parental Order' Applications in the UK
1,991 Cases Reported from 2020 to 2024
Growing Criticism Over This Unusual Phenomenon
Controversy has arisen in the United Kingdom, where surrogacy is legal, after it was revealed that individuals in their 80s and older have applied for parental orders to obtain legal parental rights over babies born via surrogacy. On July 21, international media outlets such as The Telegraph and The Times reported that Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the UK, confirmed that some people aged 80 and above had submitted parental order applications to the courts between 2020 and 2025 to become the legal parents of babies born through surrogacy.
The exact number of applications has not been disclosed. However, the Daily Mail, citing a local media outlet that obtained documents through a freedom of information request, reported that the average annual number of applications was fewer than six. This means that the total number of applications could reach up to 30 over five years, which has shocked British society. During the same period, there were 416 parental order applications from individuals in their 50s. The number of applications from men in their 50s more than doubled, rising from 44 in 2020 to 95 in 2025, while there were 43 applications from men in their 60s. From 2020 to 2024, the total number of applications across all age groups was 1,991.
This unusual phenomenon has raised concerns among civic groups. The head of one civic organization stated, "We were deeply shocked that people in their 60s to 80s are applying for parental orders to become parents of babies born via surrogacy," and criticized, "Such selfish behavior cannot be justified." He further pointed out, "There is no upper age limit for parents in surrogacy, both in the UK and overseas, so it is absurd that someone can obtain a parental order decades after the natural childbearing age has passed," and added, "The government must consider whether these measures are in the best interests of the child."
Earlier, in May this year, the UK High Court sparked controversy by allowing a couple in their 70s to become the legal parents of a child born via surrogacy in the United States. The couple had a child through a surrogate in California using the husband's sperm and a donated egg, and applied for a parental order just six months after the birth. However, the court reportedly expressed concern that the couple would be 86 years old when the child turns 18, raising the possibility that they could pass away before the child reaches adulthood.
As the trend of elderly individuals applying for parental orders for children born through surrogacy increases rapidly, there are growing calls to revise the system. Lexi Ellingsworth, co-founder of an anti-surrogacy group, pointed out, "There is no age restriction for surrogacy in the UK. People can even buy babies overseas through financial transactions," and insisted, "The government must put an immediate stop to these practices."
Under current UK law, where surrogacy is legal, the surrogate is considered the legal mother at birth. Because the surrogate's husband or partner is regarded as the father, couples who have entered into a surrogacy agreement must apply for a parental order within six months of the child's birth. During this process, the surrogate relinquishes her legal rights, and the commissioning couple acquires parental status.
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