Jenny Kleeman: A pandemic and the world of surrogacy
The Story
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4 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 24 June 2020
⏱️ 28 minutes
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Summary
This week Manveen and David take a break as Times Radio presenters host the podcast, ahead of the launch of the station on the 29th June.
The images of babies born via surrogate, waiting in a hotel in Ukraine for their biological parents to collect them during lockdown, were broadcast all over the world. Today, we go inside the global surrogacy industry and explore how the pandemic has disrupted the system.
Guests:
Olga Pysana is an Intended Parent Partner for the UK and US at the 'World Centre of Baby', a surrogacy agency in Ukraine.
An anonymous expectant mum.
Richard Vaughn, international fertility lawyer.
Host: Jenny Kleeman, host of Times Radio's breakfast show.
Clips: CBS, Euronews, Al Jazeera.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A few weeks ago, a Ukrainian fertility clinic popular with international clients |
| 0:04.4 | uploaded a video to YouTube entitled Surrogacy, Babies are Waiting for their Parents. |
| 0:10.8 | It went viral. Oh my God. |
| 0:18.0 | It's a room and the camera is moving around this room and there's row after row of babies in plastic tubs. |
| 0:30.0 | It looks like a farm. |
| 0:40.0 | Every day they spend some time with the children in the open air and base them. There are 46 children at our hotel. |
| 0:47.0 | And they're all swaddled up. |
| 0:49.1 | And there's some nurses in blue gloves and masks. They are babies from America, Italy, Spain, Britain, China, France, Germany. |
| 0:58.0 | There is just no way that all of the babies could be seen to when they're crying at the same time. |
| 1:04.0 | There are people going in there trying to put dummies in their mouths. |
| 1:07.0 | It's difficult for us, but we handle it well. |
| 1:10.0 | We show babies to their parents online and our managers arrange video... |
| 1:14.0 | The women who carried these newborns gave them up moments after they were born. |
| 1:24.6 | But COVID-19 meant the baby's biological parents were barred from coming to Ukraine to collect them. |
| 1:31.0 | It's heartbreaking to see how parents miss their little ones. |
| 1:34.0 | We wish they were allowed to pick up their children soon. |
| 1:38.0 | As soon as I saw the video, I wanted to find out more. |
| 1:47.3 | I'm Jenny Cleman. I'm an investigative journalist and host of the breakfast show on Times Radio Friday to Sunday. You're listening to |
| 1:52.2 | a special edition of Stories of Our Times. |
| 1:55.0 | Today, inside the world of international commercial surrogacy in the age of COVID-19. May I have your attention please you can now book your train tickets on Uber and get |
| 2:18.9 | 10% back in credits to spend on your next Uber ride so you don't have to walk home in the rain again. |
| 2:25.6 | Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply. Check the Uber app. Hello Olga, it's Jenny Cleman here calling you from the Times. How are you? |
... |
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