Abstract

In November 2018, all types of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) involving third parties, including surrogacy, were prohibited in Turkey. In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) methods for married heterosexual couples, however, are highly promoted by the official-legal framework despite the fact that the number of people seeking surrogate mothers abroad has been increasing dramatically. This reveals not only several ethical questions about the practice of surrogacy but also legal debates both in Turkey and in the world. Thus, this article presents a conceptual and legal framework for the practice of surrogacy in Turkey. It aims to make a basic examination of surrogacy and introduce some of the ethical questions and their implications for law in this area.