Wanted: Womb to rent in Moscow

By WILL STEWART in Moscow

A New Zealand couple desperate for children are advertising for a surrogate mother in Russia.

The man, aged 42 and working in Hong Kong, says in the personal ad that they have taken the step after eight years of trying to conceive.

The case is unusual since his wife, though born in New Zealand, had Russian parents.

The couple, who want to remain anonymous, are seeking a healthy Russian woman as a surrogate and specify that she should be "blonde and attractive" and aged 20 to 30.

They do not specify how much they would pay the surrogate mother, or where the baby should be born.

If the baby is born in Russia, the couple may face legal hurdles in taking it to live abroad.

The advertisement, headed "Surrogate Mother Needed", appears in Wednesday's edition of the English-language Moscow Times newspaper, and reads in full:

"Hello, I am a 42-year-old New Zealander working in Hong Kong.

"My wife was born in New Zealand, but her parents are Russian, from St Petersburg.

"For over eight years we have been trying to have children, but without success.

"We are very desperate to have children and are now looking for a suitable young Russian woman to become a surrogate mother.

"The woman we are seeking should be 20-30 years old, of slim build, in good health, blonde and attractive. Thank you."