Couple surf for surrogates

A childless couple have set up a website describing their anguish at being unable to bear a child, and appealing for women in India to act as surrogate mothers for them.

Bobby and Nikki Bains turned to "surrogate surfing" after failing to find a British woman prepared to help.

They are offering up to £15,000 in cash to any suitable Asian woman willing to "rent out" her womb. They have also taken out a string of advertisements in Indian newspapers.

Mrs Bains, a legal secretary, said: "We are desperate for a baby and have tried to find a surrogate in this country, but have repeatedly been disappointed. We are still searching, but we think we could find someone in India.

"The money would mean a lot to poorer women over there, and if they are willing to help us have a child, we are happy to help them in return."

The couple have won the support of some fertility groups in Britain, who believe the couple have a right to search for a surrogate overseas.

But they could face criticism by reproductive ethics groups, amid doubts over whether wealthy westerners should use the poor to help them have children.

Mr and Mrs Bains, who live in Ilford, have spent thousands of pounds on fertility treatment at IVF clinics in Britain. The couple, who have unexplained fertility problems, have been trying to have a child since marrying in 1995, but have failed to conceive.

Doctors say that their only hope is to find a surrogate mother who is willing to help them bear a child using Mr Bains' sperm.

The pair believe their best chance of finding a candidate may be in India - where the £15,000 payment would be enough to support a poor woman for a lifetime.

Direct payments to surrogates are outlawed in this country - though they can receive substantial "expenses".

The Bainses have taken out advertisements in newspapers in the Punjab, in India's national broadsheet and on a number of international fertility websites.

The newspaper and Web adverts tell of their desperation for a baby and feature an emotional appeal to readers to "spread the news" within the Indian community.

Mr and Mrs Bains' website is called www.oneinsix.com in a reference to the statistical chance that a couple will experience fertility problems.

The site describes their quest to have a child, detailing the tests and treatments they have undergone. In a heartfelt plea to potential surrogates, the website says: "We cannot thank a person enough if we had our dream met through this route."

If a suitable candidate comes forward, the couple will travel to India, where they hope one of their own embryos can be implanted in her womb. However, they may need a donor egg from the surrogate, who would be artificially inseminated with Mr Bains' sperm at a clinic.

Several Indian women have already expressed an interest, and two hospitals in India have said they are willing to help with the treatment.

Mr Bains, 39, an engineer, said: "We could give thousands more pounds to a Harley Street doctor and have yet more fertility treatment which doesn't work, or we could give thousands of pounds to an Indian woman to be a surrogate for us, and set her up for life. I know which I'd rather do. But we hope that whoever comes forward is not just doing it for the money. They must want in their hearts to help us."

Mr and Mrs Bains are talking with an anonymous British woman who is considering helping them - but do not want to limit their options.

Mrs Bains said: "We have been badly let down by people before. We were approached by an Asian woman living in Britain, who wanted to help us, but she was only in it for money, and we backed out. We don't want to deal with people who are doing it for the wrong reasons."

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates fertility treatment, has no power over British couples who seek treatment abroad. A spokeswoman for the HFEA said: "This couple would not be breaking any laws."