Gay Dutch PM Rob Jetten rejects demand to freeze surrogacy reform

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said in The Hague on 30 October 2026 that the government would continue pursuing surrogacy reform despite the Protestant SGP party’s demand for a delay. According to Reformatorisch Dagblad, citing news agency ANP, the dispute has become part of negotiations over support for the 2027 tax plan.

The minority cabinet comprises D66, VVD and CDA, which hold 66 of the lower house’s 150 seats and therefore need opposition support. Queer.de reports that the SGP, with three seats, has linked support for financial measures to abandoning the reform. It is negotiating alongside the right-wing JA21 and BBB parties.

The SGP says its position protects children’s interests, including those of unborn children, and wants a pause on changes concerning surrogacy, late abortions and medication abortions at home. According to Revive’s account of the three parties’ joint proposal, BBB also wants less restrictive rules for farmers under nitrogen emissions reductions, while JA21 seeks tougher asylum policy.

In the official press conference transcript, Jetten confirmed that the surrogacy bill was already before the lower house and that the government intended to advance it. He also rejected rolling back women’s rights and urged parties to assess the tax plan on its merits rather than link it to unrelated demands.

The reform, proposed in 2023, has not been enacted. Under the government’s description of the bill, a court could approve intended parents’ legal parenthood before conception, taking effect at the child’s birth. An information register on surrogacy and expense reimbursement rules are also envisaged. The aim is to reduce legal uncertainty for the child, the woman giving birth and the intended parents.

Talks remain unresolved: on 31 October, JA21, BBB and SGP said they still saw scope for agreement, while retaining their conditions. The lower house debate on the tax plan is scheduled for 4 November; Jetten hopes to report the outcome of talks by 3 November at the latest.

The dispute also has a personal context. As Uránia previously reported, Jetten, who is openly gay, and his fiancé, Argentine field hockey player Nicolás Keenan, are expecting a child in spring 2027. A D66 statement says their friend is the surrogate and the arrangement is taking place in the Netherlands on a non-commercial basis.