Oversight of IVF Clinics in Northern Cyprus Raises Questions — INVESTIGATION

On Northern Cyprus, a journalistic investigation has called into question the effectiveness of oversight of IVF clinics. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has laws regulating the operation of such clinics, egg and sperm donation, surrogacy and maximum payments to donors; however, as the report notes, some centres openly offer and provide services that go beyond the legal framework.

According to the data cited, 72% of prospective egg donors at one centre are university students. This concentration is linked to the economic vulnerability of young women, for whom donation becomes a source of income.

The report also points to ties between local clinics and medical centres in Turkey: some patients first contact facilities in Istanbul, while the treatment itself takes place on the island. At the same time, some centres publicly advertise surrogacy, which is prohibited in Turkey.

Attention to the issue is further reinforced by previous cases. In 2019, a police operation in Istanbul exposed an international surrogacy network spanning Turkey, Georgia and Northern Cyprus, involving the supply of hormonal drugs and the systematic recruitment of donors.

A new wave of discussion was prompted by the Turkish series “Mezarlık”, whose plot features surrogacy operations involving the island. The authors of the investigation are demanding clarity about where the boundaries of what is permitted lie, what is actually happening in the clinics and why the alleged violations persist despite being conducted openly.