Study of the attitude of Bulgarian society towards surrogacy.

Aim: The dynamic and rapid development of medicine and assisted reproductive technology (ART), in particular, has opened up a whole new range of opportunities for infertile couples worldwide. In the resent years, the number of couples with reproductive problems and infertility in Bulgaria has sharply increased. For some of them surrogacy is the only chance for having a child. This calls for the introduction of new legislative, regulatory provisions concerning surrogacy agreements. This article provides an overview of the current attitudes in Bulgarian society as regards surrogate motherhood and its legalization. Materials and methods: 256 respondents, aged from 20 to 61 y (mean 36.26 ± 0.55), of whom 48.7% men and 51.3% women, took part in the anonymous survey. The questions in the survey are related to ethical, legal and social aspects of surrogacy. Results: The findings revealed a positive attitude towards surrogacy as a means of assisted reproduction, with 79.2% of all respondents sharing the opinion that it is mandatory to legalize and regularize surrogacy in Bulgaria. Conclusions: These results are important because they demonstrate generally tolerant attitudes in Bulgarian society towards surrogacy. The introduction of adequate laws and regulations will significantly facilitate assisted reproduction, and will, to a great extent, curb the some inconvenience of surrogacy whilst ensuring the protection of the rights of both the surrogate mother and the commissioning couple