“It’s a Tool for Exploitation” – Kate Henshaw Raises Alarm Over Surrogacy in Nigeria

Veteran Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has expressed concern over the growing use of surrogacy, warning that without proper regulation, the practice could lead to the exploitation of financially vulnerable women.

Speaking in a recent interview on News Central, Henshaw emphasized the need for clear laws and legal frameworks in Nigeria to protect the rights, health, and emotional well-being of surrogates.

“Surrogacy is a means to exploit people who are not financially capable. You just pay them as they have a child for you,” Henshaw said. “But then, what will make you want to look after them? Are you bound under any laws or legal framework to make sure that they are taken care of before and after they deliver the baby for you?”

The award-winning actress highlighted the physical and psychological toll of pregnancy, stressing that surrogacy must be handled with care, empathy, and accountability.

“There’s just so much around it. Surrogacy is a process of giving hope to those who cannot have or have medical complications and want to bring forth a child. It shouldn’t be something to be done lightly. There are lots of emotions attached to carrying a child—apart from the changes in the body, there are mental changes. Women can die during childbirth. So it shouldn’t be taken lightly,” she added.

Henshaw urged lawmakers to establish and enforce comprehensive policies that protect surrogate mothers from abuse and neglect.

“I hope Nigeria rises to the occasion. I hope we have laws that will work and not just be suggestions,” she concluded.

Her comments have sparked a fresh round of debate on the ethics of surrogacy in Nigeria, especially in a country where legal and medical oversight of reproductive health practices remains limited.