Britain

Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, from Danbury in Essex will open The British Surrogacy Center in February 2011.

It will be based in Essex but have an office in California, and describes itself as a center for all things surrogacy which provides information for same-sex parents . The couple will help match surrogates and egg donors in the US with couples from the UK and Europe.

In one of the first cases of its kind in Britain, a woman is set to make history by acting as a surrogate for her brother and his gay partner. Fertility expert Dr Kamal Ahuja says, "The definition of a traditional family is progressively fading. Though we had concerns some years ago, the evidence now is that we need not worry in terms of same-sex parenting.

Families of the future may combine up to five parents. Regardless of culture, the evidence is that children adapt well and it’s the quality of the nurturing environment which is important."

Natalie Gamble [pictured], founder of Britain's first fertility law firm, Gamble and Ghevaert wants people in her country to know that couples who work with foreign surrogates have six months after the birth to register as legal parents of the child.