The Minister for Children and Families, Kjersti Toppe, supports the country’s current ban on domestic surrogacy: “It is forbidden in Norway, and I am very much behind it. I am opposed to surrogacy for various reasons. Among other things, the child rights perspective. There is a risk that children will be born and orphaned [if the intended parents do not pick it up].”

Toppe told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the disapproval of surrogacy should also be extended in some way to those who circumvent the law by going abroad to have a child through a foreign surrogate and then return with the child to Norway. “It is not a point for me to punish, but penal provisions are attitude-creating and support the seriousness of the legal provision. It is important to make it clear that there is a ban”.

About ten years ago, the Storting passed an exemption proposal which means that people who have children through surrogacy abroad cannot be punished. Toppe voted against that law change and still disagrees to this day.

Already in 2017, Toppe advocated such a ban and compared it to the fact that it is a criminal offence for Norwegians to buy sex abroad.