27.01.2026Brown Bag Lunch with Lea Heistrüvers und David Samhammer

Non-commercial surrogacy is commonly discussed as a particular form of third-party family building and is legally permitted in several countries under so-called “altruistic” arrangements. While a growing body of research has examined procedural aspects, the well-being of surrogates, and, more recently, that of children born through surrogacy, there remains a notable lack of studies that approach surrogacy from a lifeworld-oriented perspective. This session addresses this gap by drawing on two qualitative research projects conducted at the Universities of Zurich and Nuremberg, based on in-depth interviews with surrogates in Commonwealth countries. This session, moderated by Leonie Abstein, addresses this gap by drawing on two qualitative research projects conducted at the Universities of Zurich and Nuremberg. The projects, led by Lea Heistrüvers and David Samhammer, are based on in-depth interviews with surrogates in Commonwealth countries.

They conceptualize surrogacy not only as a medical or legal arrangement, but as a socially and biographically embedded practice. Their findings show that, from the perspective of surrogates, non-commercial surrogacy is shaped by dimensions of meaning that extend beyond prevailing ethical framings centered on autonomy or the risk of exploitation. Instead, surrogacy emerges as a significant life choice in which questions of recognition, moral self-understanding, friendship, and relational belonging play a central role. This becomes especially evident in cases of surrogates that intentionally carry for gay fathers.

By foregrounding these dimensions, the session offers new impulses for current debates on the legal status of surrogacy in Switzerland and Germany, where all forms of surrogacy remain prohibited. In these contexts, non-commercial surrogacy is often regarded as the only ethically defensible model for possible legalization. It will be argued that a lifeworld-oriented understanding of surrogacy is crucial for evaluating what “non-commercial” surrogacy actually entails in practice and for grounding regulatory discussions in the lived realities of those who act as surrogates.