"Blameless" couple allowed to pursue adoption for surrogate-born twins
09 July 2026
Today's Family Lawyer cover the international surrogacy case that was reported in the law archives last week in which we acted.
The Honourable Mr Justice Peel, for the family division of the High Court, has granted permission to the Applicant Intended Parents to apply for an adoption order, after it was discovered following the birth of twins via a surrogacy arrangement in Sri Lanka, that neither Applicant is biologically related to the children.
The two embryos were intended and understood to be created by a combination of anonymously donated eggs and the sperm of the First Applicant. The Applicants subsequently discovered that the sperm was in fact not that of the First Applicant but of a sperm donor. Mr Justice Peel cited “The Applicants are devastated. This was not what they had planned, expected or agreed to with the relevant clinic.”
Victoria Maxwell from our modern families team appeared in PP & Anor v RR (leave to withdraw parental order application) Neutral Citation Number [2026] EWFC 172 alongside Melissa Elsworth of 1GC.
