The global surrogacy boom

Surrogacy is a booming global industry generating billions of dollars every year. But while demand for surrogacy is rising - more and more countries are taking steps to ban it completely. Most recently in Italy – where the far-right government has passed a new law that makes surrogacy a “universal crime”, putting it on the same level as child abuse and human trafficking. So, is surrogacy exploitative or empowering women? On this episode Lucy Hockings speaks with the BBC's gender and identity correspondent Sofia Bettiza about how to balance the desire of gay or infertile couples to become parents with the rights of the women who carry the children.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Producer: Alice Aylett RobertsSound engineers: Ben Andrews and Daniel EhrlichAssistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

Om Podcasten

Global perspectives on one big story. In-depth insights from the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider. Make sense of the news with our experts around the world, every Monday to Friday. Episodes will be ready by 10:30 GMT. Host Katya Adler and our BBC teams guide you through one major global news story each episode. From Beijing to Boston, Baghdad to Bangalore, our unrivalled reach will take you beyond the headlines to help understand and explore what’s happening. The Global News Podcast brings you the latest updates and, on The Global Story, we will drill deep into a single story. From the climate emergency, to the burning questions around Artificial Intelligence, to the movements of money and markets, and the power of the ballot and the bullet. Katya Adler has been a BBC correspondent and editor for more than 25 years, covering conflicts in the Middle East, political and economic crises in Europe, and drug cartels in Mexico. The Global Story team would like to hear your stories and experiences on the issues that we’re covering on the podcast. Please get in touch: theglobalstory@bbc.com #TheGlobalStory and tell us your thoughts on what you would like us to talk about.