Friend surrogacy fulfills Lucy Koops' dream after infertility and hysterectomy, exposing legal gaps
Consensus Summary
Lucy Koops, a 36-year-old woman who endured three years of infertility treatments, including two miscarriages, five surgeries, and multiple IVF attempts, faced a devastating diagnosis on her wedding day: she needed a hysterectomy due to complications from a rare cervical triplet ectopic pregnancy (CTEP). After losing her first daughter, Millie, to stillbirth at 18 weeks, Koops turned to her childhood friend Ashleigh Raper, who had offered years earlier to be a surrogate. Raper, a mother of two with an easy pregnancy history, agreed to carry Koopsâ child using her egg and her husbandâs sperm. The pregnancy occurred in May 2025, just weeks after Australiaâs federal election, and Mia was born in 2026. Despite the emotional bond between the women, Australiaâs surrogacy laws created legal hurdles, as Raper was initially listed as the legal mother until a Parentage Order was granted, leaving Koops to navigate logistical challenges like Medicare enrollment and newborn care. Both women emphasize the strength of their friendship and the profound impact of the surrogacy arrangement, which fulfilled Koopsâ dream of motherhood after years of heartbreak. Koops now advocates for surrogacy reform to address legal ambiguities and protect both surrogates and intended parents from exploitation or uncertainty.
â Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Lucy Koops, 36, had a hysterectomy on what should have been her wedding day after a three-year infertility battle including two miscarriages, five surgeries, and multiple IVF failures
- Koops suffered a cervical triplet ectopic pregnancy (CTEP), a rare condition, and later lost a daughter, Millie, to stillbirth at 18 weeks
- Ashleigh Raper, 38, offered to be a surrogate for Koops in mid-2023, saying 'Iâll have a baby for you'
- Raper and Koops are childhood friends who met through Ashleighâs sister Sophie; their families holidayed together and share traditions like decorating the Christmas tree
- Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia; surrogates receive only medical and travel reimbursements, not financial compensation
- Raper became pregnant with Mia two weeks after the May 2025 federal election, with the embryo transfer completed within a month of that
- Mia was born at 4:55pm on an unspecified date in 2026, with Koops and her husband arriving at the hospital just as the baby was delivered
- The surrogate (Raper) is legally listed as the mother until a Parentage Order is granted, causing logistical and emotional hurdles for Koops, including Medicare enrollment and newborn care
- Koops advocates for regulated surrogacy reform to protect both intended parents and surrogates from legal limbo, calling the current system unregulated and expensive when pursued overseas
- Raper traveled with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the US three times during her pregnancy, coinciding with a stressful period in her career as Network Tenâs political editor
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Koops jokes that Mia 'had been in the cabinet room with Donald Trump' before birth
- Koops describes feeling a 'strange wash of relief' when told she needed a hysterectomy
- Raper describes herself as 'super chaotic' and admits she was annoyed by Koopsâ organized calendar invites for appointments
- The article includes a call-to-action for miscarriage, stillbirth, and newborn death support with a phone number and a link to sign up for Sunday Life magazine
- No additional unique details beyond SMH; identical content
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources; all factual claims are identical
Source Articles
Ashleighâs baby pact ended Lucyâs heartbreak. It also exposed gaps in the system
After having two children in her 20s, the political editor made a selfless choice to help her best friend â with one small condition.
Ashleighâs baby pact ended Lucyâs heartbreak. It also exposed gaps in the system
After having two children in her 20s, the political editor made a selfless choice to help her best friend â with one small condition.