Ini Edo reveals emotional path to motherhood via surrogacy

Nollywood actress Ini Edo has spoken up on motherhood and her experience of having a child through surrogacy.

Ini Edo while speaking at the Meet Surrogate Mothers IVF Conference in Lagos, revealed that she was fully involved in every step of the surrogacy journey.

The actress also spoke against the stigma attached to birth by surrogacy. She noted that surrogates are not just baby carrying vessels but a human being.

“She wasn’t just a vessel. I was involved every step of the way, from prenatal care and medical decisions to emotional bonding during the pregnancy. Surrogacy is not simply about a woman carrying a child for another. It’s about two women walking a path together. Even though they are not physically carrying this child, they sort of walk the journey together. So when people reduce surrogacy to being just a baby factory, I think they erase these layers of humanity. They overlook the safeguards, the ethics, the choice. They forget that love can take many forms, and sometimes the most profound acts of love come from someone who carries your child but doesn’t raise them,” she said.

The actress also emphasised the need for protection for surrogates. She spoke against the common practice of exploitation and surrogates being reduced to ‘baby factories’.

“Someone who lends her body so another can cry in the future. That is why we need a new narrative. A narrative that champions ethical surrogacy, grounded in informed consent, legal protection, and mutual respect. The world where no woman is being exploited, but also where no family is ever denied hope simply because their path to parenthood looks different. Surrogacy is not perfect. It needs revelation, transparency, and empathy, but it’s not a factory. It’s a bridge. A bridge between despair and joy. Between strangers who become families. Between the impossible and the miraculous”, she said.

Ini Edo also stressed the need for legal protection for surrogates. She stated the need for clarity during surrogacy arrangements and their rights being protected.

“Talking about regulation, I was happy to recently read in the news that the House of Representatives moved to ban commercial surrogacy in Nigeria. While further defending surrogacy against stigma, the filmmaker said: “Surrogacy deserves respect, not stigma. It’s a modern solution to infertility. Just like IVF or adoption, it should not be shamed or seen as less than traditional motherhood,” she said.