Surrogacy in Denmark could become easier to access domestically as the government signals openness to allowing fertility clinics to treat surrogate mothers, so that childless Danes no longer need to travel abroad for help.
Current rules push intended parents abroad
Under the current framework, it is legal in Denmark to have a child with the help of a surrogate mother, and it is legal for the surrogate to carry and give birth to the child. However, fertilisation of the surrogate in Danish fertility clinics is banned, meaning that intended parents who choose surrogacy must travel abroad for key parts of the medical treatment. This restriction has created a gap between what is legally permitted in principle and what is practically possible in the healthcare system.
In practice, many intended parents travel to countries where surrogacy treatment is organised and regulated, before returning to Denmark to raise their children. Danish law has gradually adapted to this reality. In 2024, rules were eased to make it easier for Danish parents to have their legal parenthood recognised when a child is born through surrogacy, especially in cases where the child is born abroad.
Critics of the current rules argue that the ban on treatment in Denmark does not prevent surrogacy, but instead outsources the medical procedures to other countries, often at a higher cost and with less oversight from Danish authorities.
Government signals a new ‘Danish model’ for surrogacy care
In a recent opinion piece in the daily Berlingske, Interior and Health Minister Sophie Løhde (V) and the health spokespeople of the three governing parties announced that the government is ready to look at making it legal for surrogate mothers to receive treatment in Danish fertility clinics. According to the ministers, the existing ban is both “illogical” and “inappropriate” because it forces Danes to travel thousands of kilometres to receive medical assistance that could, in principle, be offered at home.
The government wants to examine how a “Danish model” for surrogacy treatment could work in practice, with the aim of enabling unintentionally childless people to receive help in Denmark. While the details have not yet been presented, the announcement marks a significant political softening on an issue that has long been sensitive in Danish bioethics and family policy.
The move builds on earlier steps, including cross-party agreements to clarify children’s legal status when born through international surrogacy arrangements. Together, these changes indicate that surrogacy in Denmark is gradually shifting from a topic mainly handled abroad to one that Danish lawmakers and health authorities are increasingly prepared to regulate at home.
Citizen initiative puts surrogate mothers’ health at the centre
The political opening comes in the wake of renewed public debate driven by surrogates themselves. Nanna Brandt from Helsingør, who has previously acted as a gestational carrier, is among seven women behind a citizen proposal calling for surrogate mothers in Denmark to have access to support from healthcare professionals throughout the process.
The proposal argues that when a woman chooses to carry a child for someone else, she should have the right to safe medical care, counselling and follow-up in the Danish healthcare system. Supporters say that the current ban does not protect women, but instead pushes them into arrangements where they may receive treatment abroad with less continuity of care and limited influence from Danish ethical standards.
The rapid growth in signatures for the citizen initiative reflects a broader shift in how surrogacy is discussed in Denmark: from viewing it primarily as a legal or moral question to emphasising the concrete health needs and rights of the women who carry the pregnancies.
Ethical debates and protections for children and women
Despite the government’s new openness, ethical concerns around surrogacy remain central to the Danish debate. Critics warn about the risk of exploitation of economically vulnerable women, the potential pressure on family members to act as surrogates, and the psychological impact of carrying and then handing over a child.
Any future Danish surrogacy model will have to address questions such as whether only altruistic arrangements should be allowed, how to prevent financial coercion, and how to safeguard the best interests of the child. Denmark is also bound by European standards that prohibit making the human body a source of financial gain, which limits the scope for commercial surrogacy arrangements.
Supporters of reform argue that clear rules, strong counselling requirements and strict oversight can reduce the risk of abuse. They point out that surrogacy already takes place involving Danish parents, often in other European countries or in North America, and that a regulated system at home could provide more transparency and protection for all parties involved.
A Nordic and European debate on surrogacy
The discussion on surrogacy in Denmark is part of a wider Nordic and European debate about how states should handle new forms of family-making. The Nordic region is far from unified: Norway maintains a strict ban on surrogacy, while Sweden and Iceland have periodically explored the possibility of allowing altruistic arrangements under tight conditions.
Across Europe, most states prohibit commercial surrogacy but differ on whether altruistic surrogacy should be permitted and how to recognise cross-border surrogacy agreements. The European Parliament has repeatedly called attention to the risks of exploitation, especially in low-income countries where many European parents currently seek surrogacy services.
If Denmark develops a domestic framework that allows surrogate mothers to be treated within its own healthcare system, it could influence debates elsewhere in the Nordic region and in the European Union. For many intended parents, and for the women who choose to carry their children, the coming negotiations in Copenhagen will help determine whether surrogacy remains an arrangement that largely takes place abroad or becomes a regulated part of Denmark’s healthcare and family policy.
