MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Surrogacy has Argentine families stranded due to Ukrainian crisis

Families are advised to leave by land through Poland or Romania, which involves a serious change of plans for people with babies born just days ago.

At least five Argentine couples who had sought to have children through surrogate Ukrainian mothers are among those currently stranded in the war-torn country, it was reported.

They are also having troubles accessing air-raid shelters.

Ukraine is one of the few countries in the world that allows couples to access surrogacy and thus fulfill the dream of becoming parents. Dozens of Argentines and citizens from other parts of the world travel there every year for that purpose.

“They are telling us to leave Ukrainian territory. It was all very sudden and we have to organize ourselves. The issue is that we do not know how to go about that,” an Argentine mother has been quoted by Télam as saying.

She added that -to make matters worse- some of the babies did not have their travel documents in order yet. Some of the Argentine families in a similar situation have been housed at Ambassador Elena Mikusinski's residence, which has bunker facilities.

Once a baby conceived through these modern scientific procedures is born, families have to go through some red tape involving local registries and Argentine consular services, incluuding the issuance of an Argentine passport to be able to leave the country.

Families are advised to leave by land through Poland or Romania, which involves a serious change of plans for people with babies born just days ago.

“I am waiting for my baby to be born, we have already notified the Embassy that we are here,” another mother-to-be said, according to Télam. “We all hope to have the passports to be able to return.”

Other couples, who are in Argentina after having started their fertilization treatments in the past, are gripped with anguish as they learn the women carrying their babies are in areas that were bombed, some 700 kilometers away from Kyiv.

Télam's report also mentions another couple, who were held at a stopover in Madrid, where their connecting flight was canceled. Their baby is due next week.

Argentine families in Kyiv were briefed on the protocols they must follow in case of shelling. But many ended up seeking shelter at Ambassador Mikusinski's residence.

5 familias argentinas con 5 bebés de vientres subrogados estaban alojadas desde el lunes en el sótano de la residencia de nuestra Embajada en Ucrania. Ya se encuentran camino a Polonia.

Gran trabajo de la embajadora Elena Mikusinski y del cuerpo diplomático. pic.twitter.com/KsJM5yjvLx

— Santiago Cafiero (@SantiagoCafiero) February 26, 2022

(Source: Télam)