A campaign to reform the United Kingdom's surrogacy laws will be debated in Parliament in early September, following a petition initiated by Adam Frisby, a former founder of the online fashion retailer In The Style. Frisby, who recently welcomed his daughter Leven Rose via surrogacy in America with fiancé Jamie Corbett, has described the current British laws as "outdated" and "unbelievable."

The petition gained significant traction, amassing over 112,000 signatures. Frisby stated that the approval for a parliamentary debate was beyond his initial expectations. "We simply wanted to make sure no other family had to go through what we did," Frisby told the Daily Mail. "No parent should have to spend months waiting to become their own child’s legal parent simply because of the way their child was born."

Under current UK law, the surrogate mother is automatically recognized as the legal mother of the child. If the surrogate is married, her spouse is recorded as the legal father, regardless of biological connection or parental intent. This means that intended parents like Frisby and Corbett, despite being biologically related to their child and having pursued surrogacy, are not initially recognized as legal parents.

Frisby and Corbett chose to use a surrogate in the United States, where both intended parents are legally recognized from birth. Upon returning to the UK, they initiated the parental order process, a lengthy procedure that can take up to a year and involves extensive paperwork and assessments, including social worker evaluations and court appearances.

Frisby expressed the emotional toll of the process, recounting how he was informed before his daughter's birth that he would not be able to make immediate decisions for her or provide consent for medical treatment. "We came off that call devastated because this is our daughter. We'd wanted her for years," he said.

The couple emphasized their desire for legal security for children born through surrogacy from birth and for families created this way to be treated equally and respectfully. "We know a debate is no guarantee of change, but we hope it’s the start of real progress," Frisby stated. "If it means future families are legally recognised and protected from day one, then every difficult conversation we’ve had will have been worth it."

Frisby also shared his personal journey, noting that growing up, he feared he might not be able to have a family due to being gay. He and Corbett are now navigating parenthood, finding it "incredible" and cherishing the family they dreamed of.

Regarding the possibility of having another child, Frisby indicated that discussions are ongoing, balancing the desire for a sibling for Leven with the complex and costly realities of repeating the surrogacy process. He acknowledged that while they would love another child, the journey is not straightforward and could take years.