Surrogacy from a reproductive rights and justice perspective: a comprehensive review

LAY SUMMARY: Surrogacy is when a woman carries a child for someone else and gives the baby to them after birth. While this practice helps people become parents, it also raises complex ethical and social questions. This review looks at 86 studies from different countries and disciplines to better understand these issues. It proposes a new way to think about surrogacy, focusing on the rights and experiences of the women involved-especially surrogates and donors. The study shows that many women, especially in the Global South, face problems like poor access to healthcare and limited information about the process. It also highlights how medical and legal systems often fail to protect them. By combining ideas from human rights and feminist movements, the review offers a tool to identify these problems and calls for stronger protections. It encourages global rules to ensure that surrogacy respects women's health, rights, and dignity, no matter where they live.