The attitudes and knowledge of medical students towards surrogacy

Summary

We aimed to evaluate the attitudes and knowledge of medical students' towards surrogacy as a means of assisted reproduction. An online survey was sent to medical students from UK universities, 185 anonymous replies were received. A total of 72.2% agreed with surrogacy as a means of assisted reproduction; 43.9% thought the intended mother was the legal mother at birth; 28.7% correctly identified the surrogate mother as the legal mother; 76.0%felt that the intended mother should be the legal mother at birth; 15.2% thought surrogacy arrangements were enforceable by law; 29.2% correctly knew they were not. There was no difference in knowledge of surrogacy among students who had studied obstetrics and gynaecology compared with those who had not. Medical students were generally tolerant in their attitudes to surrogacy. There were discrepancies between the position of UK law governing surrogacy and the personal views of medical students.

Keywords:

• Surrogacy
• fertility
• law
• medical education