Jetten has child via surrogacy: these are the rules and what the cabinet wants to change

Deputy Prime Minister Rob Jetten and his partner Nico Keenan have announced that they expect a child via surrogacy in 2027. Under current Dutch law, the surrogate is automatically recognized as the legal mother at birth, requiring the intended parents to undergo a lengthy legal process to establish parentage. The Dutch government is working on new legislation introduced in 2023 intended to simplify this process by allowing parents to be recognized as legal guardians prior to birth, provided at least one parent has a genetic link to the child.

The proposed law also seeks to regulate financial aspects by criminalizing commercial surrogacy while allowing for the reimbursement of specific costs, punishable by up to two years in prison. Furthermore, while the bill aims to improve the recognition of foreign birth certificates, experts have raised concerns regarding potential abuses, and judges have requested longer reflection periods for surrogates. Because the legislation will not be enacted before the arrival of the couple's child, Jetten and Keenan will navigate the current, more complex legal framework to secure their parental rights.