Sir Ben Ainslie and his wife reveal they used a surrogate for their second child

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British Olympic sailor Sir Ben Ainslie and his wife Georgie have revealed their use of a surrogate to conceive their second child. The couple had struggled for years to conceive, undergoing multiple rounds of IVF and suffering three miscarriages. The surrogacy was carried out in California, where commercial surrogacy is legal, and their son Fox was born in 2021. The couple’s daughter Bellatrix was born via IVF five years ago.

The couple highlighted the need for greater professionalism in surrogacy in the UK since commercial surrogacy is illegal. Whilst surrogates can receive expenses, third parties cannot legally profit from helping to match parents with surrogates. High-profile feminists have argued that surrogacy commodifies women’s bodies, potentially leading to exploitation of the women involved.

Sir Ben and Georgie told their story to help break the stigma surrounding surrogacy and to educate others who may be in a similar position. The couple emphasised that surrogacy is usually financially prohibitive, costing tens of thousands of pounds. Ethical considerations were central to their decision to use a surrogate, with the process feeling like the final step of their IVF journey.

The couple described the difficulty of their journey to have children, saying that surrogacy had been one of the most rewarding things they had ever done. Sir Ben, a four-time Olympic champion, met his wife in 2011 whilst she was working as a Sky Sports presenter

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