Surrogacy is under attack in Russia. My colleagues and friends, doctors (embryologists, reproductologists, even obstetricians), lawyers, interpreters, plain managers, my personal assistants and even couriers are being arrested and put in prison. Some were beaten.
I declare that this attack is not a mistake. It is a planned and coordinated attack on surrogacy, on absolutely legal businesses, IVF clinics and law firms, all people who assist intended parents from all over the world to become parents through surrogacy. It’s an attack on my law firm Rosjurconsulting, attack on me and my family. It’s an attack on the right to procreation, an unalienable, natural human right.
The “investigators” say there is a crime. Yes, indeed. But not mine nor my colleagues. It is a crime against innocent people, my colleagues and friends, a crime against “surrogate” children kidnapped by the “investigation”, a crime committed by “investigators” from the so-called “investigative committee” of Russia.
I’m not hiding and never will. I will continue fighting against criminals in the Investigative committee who fabricated this “case” from my Prague exile. I will fight for the life, freedom and honest name of my colleagues and friends, for my reputation, my family, for «surrogate» children kidnapped by Russian authorities, for my own four kids.
In my Facebook, on my website I will publish the truth about this completely fabricated «case». The «investigators» insist that intended parents never been to Russia, never made a deposit of their own genetic material, that their goal was not to have their own offspring, but to «buy» a child of someone else. It is a lie.
I declare that ALL parents from the so-called «11 episodes of a major Smirnova» from the «case» she fabricated, initiated their gestational surrogacy programs in Russian IVF clinics using their own genetic material, not donated (though surrogacy in combination with donation is absolutely legal in Russia) have a direct genetic link to their children gestated and born by surrogates. One patient who later fathered a child through surrogacy even underwent an operation in Moscow to extract his sperm for the IVF (TESE, a surgical testicular sperm extraction).
I have results of DNA tests and other proofs that all parents visited Moscow and IVF clinics before the start of the medical part of the program to leave their genetic material.
I was proud that unlike some «civilised» countries Russia legalised surrogacy, that a wish to parent a child was not a crime in Russia. Before these tragic days I was proud of my country where thousands of «surrogate» children were born since 1995, where I wished my own children be born as well. Now I’m ashamed.
I was proud that 10 years ago back in 2010 me and my legal team put an end to IVF discrimination based on sex and marital status in Russia – for the first time proving in court that single men and single women regardless of their citizenship could become parents through surrogacy in Russia and that all courts supported me and my position furthermore. On July 16th, 2020 a Moscow court put in prison famous doctors and prominent lawyers working in third party reproduction on the absolutely false and groundless accusation in «human trafficking» without any proof. Now I’m ashamed.
I was proud that personal life, private issues were not discussed in Russia, that privacy was really protected as stipulates the Russian Constitution. Now in homophobic hysteria «investigators» claim that unmarried intended parents – patients of Russian IVF clinics – who became fathers through surrogacy in my country – are all «homosexual» – as if it were a crime – and fathered their children to abuse them. Now I’m ashamed.
I was proud that Russian IVF clinics win in an honest competition with our colleagues from the USA, Ukraine and Georgia. That due to my personal efforts the absolute majority of Russian IVF clinics accept unmarried intended fathers as patients. Now, frightened by this ‘investigation», the doctors again started to reject these patients. Now I’m ashamed.
I declare that my law firm – Rosjurconsulting – will continue business and all obligations of my company and my personal obligations are in force. All gestational surrogacy programs initiated with my help and assistance will be completed.
We, lawyers, use to say «Veritas vincit», or, as they say in Czechia «Pravda vítezí» – the truth prevails, the truth will win!
Konstantin N. Svitnev
C.E.O.
