In the Netherlands, commercial surrogacy is not allowed. You can only have a baby for someone else as long as you’re not getting paid for it. En plus, the woman who gives birth to the baby is always the legal mother. This is the case even if the child is not biologically related to the woman who carried it (gestational surrogacy). The “intended parents” have to adopt the child once he or she has been born.
All that may be about to change.
In 2023, a minister from the D66 liberal party tabled a bill that would allow the adoption/legal transfer of parenthood to happen before the birth, as long as one of the intended parents is genetically related to the child. The debate about it has repeatedly been postponed, but is now scheduled for the week of 14 December 2026.
Rob Jetten, the youngest-ever and first openly-gay prime minister of the country (also from the nightmare D66 party), recently announced that he and his boyf — a bisexual Argentinian hockey hunk — are expecting a child via a surrogate, using an egg from a donor. Jetten claims both the women who will carry the child and the woman who donated the egg are mates of theirs, from their social circle.
Hmmmmmm.
In this interview, women’s rights campaigner Lydia Daniel tells me about this very live debate. She comments on Jetten’s very public comments on his desire to procure an infant, and the curious timing of the re-ignited discussion. She recently went (Dutch) viral for her comments on TV comparing the treatment of puppies compared to babies subject to surrogacy arrangements (puppies get a few weeks with mom) and she has been accused of homophobia, of course, because it’s two gay lads “procuring” a motherless child. But Lydia, like many feminists, holds an equal-opps anti-surrogacy position. Some may argue (I do) that putting a child in a home with only men poses an even bigger risk to the welfare of the child. I hope we haven’t all moved so far from our biological moorings that I have to explain why that might be the case.
The proposed Dutch law would not change the legality of advertising or promotion surrogacy services, but this Christian site claims it will allow some sort of non-profit mediation, representing a “shift” in the direction of commercialisation.
The debate rages on.
Show notes (AI generated)
Lydia Daniel joins Róisín Michaux to discuss the controversy surrounding Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten’s plans to become a parent through surrogacy. They examine the proposed Dutch surrogacy law, surrogate mothers’ rights, international surrogacy scandals, the interests of donor-conceived children, and wider disputes over gender policy, hate-speech legislation and freedom of expression.
Rob Jetten, Surrogacy & the Dutch Parentage Bill
On 19 October 2026, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and his fiancé, Argentine field hockey player Nicolás Keenan, announced that they are expecting their first child in 2027 through a non-commercial surrogacy arrangement. According to Jetten’s party, D66, the surrogate mother and egg donor are Dutch acquaintances of the couple, and the procedure took place in the Netherlands.
Lydia argues that the announcement has brought renewed attention to a proposed law that would change how legal parenthood is established after surrogacy. Róisín questions the timing of the announcement and whether the public promotion of surrogacy sits comfortably with the Netherlands’ current restrictions.
Rob Jetten and Nicolás Keenan announce they are expecting a child
D66’s official announcement explains the arrangement and states that neither the surrogate nor the egg donor is being paid.
https://d66.nl/nieuws/rob-jetten-and-nicolas-keenan-expecting-a-child/
The Dutch Child, Surrogacy and Parentage Bill
COC Netherlands and the Rainbow Ballot Agreement
https://www.coc.nl/blog/2025/10/25/lijsttrekkers-tekenen-regenboogakkoord-met-coc/
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Dutch Court of Appeal: Contact Between a Surrogate and a Child
https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/details?id=ECLI%3ANL%3AGHARL%3A2026%3A2963
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
OCCRP: Inside the Collapse of World Center of Baby
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The Wall Street Journal: Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via Surrogates
The Zheng Shuang Surrogacy Controversy
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The Hate Review: Forbidden Colours
https://www.forbidden-colours.com/hate-review/
European Commission: LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030
Dutch Parliamentary Debate on Criminal-Law Protections
https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/detail?did=2024D22428&id=2024Z03403
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Dutch Government: Placement of Transgender Prisoners
Caroline Franssen and the Complaint Over Her Public Statements
For background on an earlier dispute over her remarks during a debate about Dutch transgender legislation, see NPO Radio 1’s report from January 2020.
Government Procedure to Withdraw Ongehoord Nederland’s Broadcasting Recognition
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Unia: Discrimination on the Basis of Birth
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Guest
Lydia Daniel
X: https://x.com/lyd20211
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-daniel-1a1412277/
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Róisín Michaux
X: https://x.com/RoisinMichaux
Substack:
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Listen & Subscribe
🎧 Peaked is available on Substack and major podcast platforms.
https://peaked.news
