Jules Von Hep and his partner Mark Beverlo began pursuing surrogacy in 2020 after recognizing it as their primary path to biological parenthood. Their journey through the UK surrogacy system proved costly and lengthy, with expenses mounting from £1,000 for consultations to £13,000 for embryo creation rounds. They worked with a UK agency where the waiting list for surrogate volunteers extended two to three years, and subsequent embryo transfers cost £5,000 each. Multiple attempts, including at-home insemination approaches, ultimately proved unsuccessful.
Facing limited domestic options, the couple explored international alternatives. Ukraine became inaccessible due to ongoing conflict, while the United States presented costs around £250,000. They settled on Mexico, where surrogacy was legalized for same-sex parents in 2021, with estimated costs ranging from £60,000 to £90,000. The couple engaged with a UK-based, queer-founded agency called My Surrogacy Journey Mexico City to identify a surrogate through video consultation.
Von Hep highlighted advantages of Mexico’s commercial surrogacy model, where egg donors, surrogates, and other participants receive direct compensation. The fee paid to the surrogate typically amounts to MXN$388,000 (£16,914), with the total covering all medical expenses. He contrasted this with the UK’s non-commercial altruistic framework, noting the transparency and clarity of commercial arrangements appealed to him.
Regulatory concerns persist in Mexico, where a patchwork system sees two states banning the practice while three others govern it. Researchers have raised issues regarding vulnerable women potentially exploiting surrogacy as economic necessity and reports of coercion by abusive partners. The agency states it prioritizes ethical protections and operates only in “surrogacy-friendly states” while collaborating with human rights specialists and reproductive law experts.
Once their baby is born, Von Hep and Beverlo anticipate spending three to six months in Mexico to secure the child’s passport before returning to the UK, where they must apply for a parental order through family courts. The couple has designated this as their final attempt at biological parenthood and Von Hep has begun publicly discussing his experience to reduce stigma around same-sex couples’ path to parenthood and highlight the systemic difficulties they encounter.