Authors

Polina Vlasenko¹;  ¹ The University of Oxford,

Discussion

This paper explores reproductive disruptions and agency within the emerging international surrogacy hubs of Georgia and Kazakhstan, catalyzed by the ongoing war in Ukraine. With Ukraine previously a global center for surrogacy, the conflict has forced fertility markets to adapt, redirecting surrogacy and egg donation demand to neighboring countries. As clinics, agents, and surrogates navigate shifting reproductive flows, Georgia and Kazakhstan have positioned themselves as competitive hubs, leveraging permissive legislation, lower costs, and available labor from Central Asia. These disruptions have intensified cross-border reproductive mobilities, particularly among surrogates from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, who migrate to Tbilisi to meet the rising demands from Chinese, European, and American clients. By examining the post-Soviet reproductive labor economies and the resulting mobilities, this paper highlights the resilience and vulnerabilities of surrogates embedded within a globalized reproductive market. This study follows the new forms of agency that emerge in response to these disruptions through participant observation in fertility clinics in Georgia and Kazakhstan, as well as interviews with medical professionals, agents, surrogates and egg providers in both countries.