According to a report by OC Media, recent controversies have sparked serious concern in Georgia's surrogacy sector, which lacks a proper regulatory framework and leaves surrogates at significant risk. The investigation highlighted how, despite commercial surrogacy being legal since 1997, minimal safeguards exist to protect the women who carry pregnancies for intended parents, many of whom travel from abroad.
The troubles came to a head in February 2025 when a baby died at Kinderly, one of Georgia's prominent reproductive medicine agencies. The tragedy prompted deeper investigations into the company's practices. The following month, more than 15 surrogate mothers filed complaints with the Prosecutor General's Office, alleging they had never received the $16,000 promised in their contracts—even after giving birth.
The women, who came from countries including Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, reported being evicted from their apartments after Kinderly stopped paying rent to landlords. They were eventually relocated to a former hostel located beside a railway line.
On 2 October, Georgian police detained Armen Melikyan, an Armenian citizen serving as Kinderly's general director. The agency's Ukrainian co-founder, Ruslam Timoshenko, was charged in absentia. Both face accusations of jointly misappropriating over $670,000 belonging to intended parents and surrogate mothers and could face up to 11 years in prison if convicted.
Georgia's emergence as a fertility destination accelerated following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which disrupted Ukraine's significant role in the global egg and surrogacy trade. Between April 2012 and September 2022, Justice Ministry data shows 4,026 children were born through surrogacy in Georgia, with Chinese nationals comprising the largest group of intended parents.
Rights organisation Sapari has been at the forefront of advocating for surrogate mothers' rights. Lawyer Nino Andriashvili told OC Media that documented cases represent merely "the tip of the iceberg" and that several surrogate women have already been granted precedent-setting legal status as trafficking victims.
Industry professionals acknowledge the problem. George Kavkasidze, a board member of the Georgian Association of Reproductive Medicine and Embryology, admitted there are no national guidelines or eligibility criteria. "This vacuum allows exploitation—and recent scandals have emerged precisely from this regulatory void," he said.
Photo: Gemini AI