The one-year-old daughter of an Italian couple, who was born in Ukraine through a commercial surrogacy arrangement, but later abandoned, has arrived in Italy to be adopted by a new family.

The Italian couple had gone to Ukraine in August 2020 to fulfill their desire to have a child through a surrogate mother. After receiving the child, however, the couple entrusted it to a babysitter and returned to Italy. For a while, the couple wrote to the nanny, asking for news and sending money; but then they disappeared.

In time, the nanny contacted the Italian consulate, and the police authorities arranged for the baby to be taken to Italy to be adopted.

Italian MEP, Simona Baldassarre, said it is a chilling story of a little girl “assembled, stored, bought and abandoned”.

“It is clear to everyone how dehumanising the abomination of the rented womb is. ‘Love is Love’, ‘love is enough’, shouts those who promote this aberrant practice. Here is the result, an innocent being who, like a much desired toy, later finds himself abandoned in a box”.