Abstract / Summary
Abstract This article examines a recent Russian surrogacy case through a bioethical and socio-legal lens to assess the regulation of commercial surrogacy, the public response it generated, and the role of bioethics in contemporary Russian debate. Focusing on a criminal case involving medical professionals accused of child trafficking in connection with cross-border surrogacy, the article argues that the controversy exposed deep tensions among law, medicine, religion, public policy, and child protection. It shows that public discussion centred largely on legal control, national security, and reproductive market regulation, while key bioethical questions concerning the commodification of women’s reproductive labour, the objectification of children, and the vulnerability of surrogate mothers remained largely absent. The article further demonstrates that the Russian regulatory framework is fragmented and paternalistic, insufficiently protecting the interests of surrogate mothers, intended parents, and children alike. By analysing both the case and the surrounding debates, the study concludes that Russian bioethics remains weakly institutionalized as an interdisciplinary forum capable of mediating between medical, legal, and moral perspectives. The article ultimately calls for broader, more inclusive ethical deliberation that meaningfully incorporates medical professionals, legal experts, civil society, and religious communities in the governance of surrogacy.