Prime Minister Rob Jetten and his friend Nicolás Keenan are reportedly expecting a child next year through their friend Lisa, who is acting as a surrogate. Pauline van Berkel, a former surrogate and president of the interest group Pregnant to Another, said that finding a surrogate in the Netherlands is difficult because recruitment and commercial arrangements are prohibited. She said surrogates are generally found within a person’s own network, while going abroad may be the only alternative if that fails.

Van Berkel said that the legal parentage process can take considerable time. One intended parent is the biological father, but the surrogate is automatically the legal mother after the birth, and her husband may automatically be the legal father if she is married. Both the surrogate and the intended parents can withdraw from the arrangement, even after agreements have been signed. Payments beyond expense compensation are prohibited, and Van Berkel said there is no comprehensive legal framework or supervision for surrogacy in the Netherlands.