A woman who was born to a surrogate mother has slammed the practice and called for its abolition.

Olivia Maurel (31) said her experiences have led her to conclude that surrogacy is “nothing short of cruel — an immoral act that can cause lifelong damage”.

Becoming a parent herself reinforced her view that the sacred bond between mother and baby “should never be tampered with”.

Comparing the trauma adopted children are said to suffer after being taken from their birth mothers, she said she believes it’s the same for children born via surrogacy: “a profoundly painful experience that disrupts the innate connections between birthing mother and child”.

She also has been moved to tears by messages from women who deeply regret their decisions to be surrogates and how they pine for the babies they gave up.

“We can only protect women like them — and the babies they have — if we ban all forms of surrogacy, including so-called altruistic surrogacy, where the surrogate is not paid a fee for carrying a child, as is the case in Britain”.