Queensland surrogate gives birth to biologically unrelated twins in Australian medical first

A Queensland woman has made medical history after giving birth to biologically unrelated twins in an extraordinary medical and legal first for Australia.

The 27-year-old woman had met and agreed to become a surrogate after meeting a couple through a mutual friend on social media.

WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Australian surrogate gives birth to unrelated twins

She was implanted with an embryo to carry a baby for the couple, who were unable to conceive due to a medical condition, in April last year.

However, the woman then fell pregnant naturally with her own partner around the same time.

DNA tests confirmed a baby boy was the biological child of the surrogate and her husband, while a baby girl was the biological baby of the other couple.

The surrogate carried both babies to full term, giving birth to them as twins by birth, despite them not being genetically related and belonging to two separate pairs of parents.

Both sets of parents have raised their children without issue or dispute since the babies were born in November.

However, the exceptional case landed in Queensland Children’s Court , where judges have examined the custody arrangements and asked to make a ruling under Queensland’s surrogacy laws.

While the current laws rule out separating birth twins, Judge Jodie Wooldridge said the children were not considered “birth siblings” due to the children not being biologically related.

The court confirmed there has been no dispute between the families, with the parents agreeing to raise the children separately while maintaining contact and sharing parts of their lives together.

An independent counsellor was asked to present an assessment to the court after speaking with the couples, and said the separation of the twins was not likely to cause psychological harm to the children.

“On the balance of probabilities and assuming that both infants are raised in stable and nurturing family systems, the available research does not support the conclusion that separation of the twins from birth is, in itself, likely to cause psychological harm,” the counsellor said.

The counsellor said that it is their opinion that the “separation of the twins from birth is unlikely, on the balance of probabilities, to result in psychological harm attributable to separation alone”.