“She wasn’t just a vessel,” Ini Edo said. “I was involved every step of the way — from prenatal care and medical decisions to emotional bonding during the pregnancy. Surrogacy is not simply about a woman carrying a child for another. It’s about two women walking a path together.”

She encouraged more honest conversations around fertility options, noting that intended mothers are actively engaged in parenting even before birth, regardless of how their children are conceived.

“Even though they are not physically carrying this child, they sort of walk the journey together. So when people reduce surrogacy to being just a baby factory, I think they erase these layers of humanity.

“Someone who lends her body so another can cry in the future. That is why we need a new narrative. A narrative that champions ethical surrogacy, grounded in informed consent, legal protection, and mutual respect. The world where no woman is being exploited, but also where no family is ever denied hope simply because their path to parenthood looks different.”

She stressed that surrogacy should not be reduced to a “baby factory” but rather seen as a bridge between despair and joy, strangers becoming families, and the impossible becoming miraculous.

“Surrogacy is not perfect. It needs revelation, transparency, and empathy, but it’s not a factory. It’s a bridge. A bridge between despair and joy. Between strangers who become families. Between the impossible and the miraculous”, she said.

She also emphasised the need for legal protection and clarity in surrogacy arrangements, ensuring that the rights of mothers through surrogacy are recognised and protected.

“Talking about regulation, I was happy to recently read in the news that the House of Representatives moved to ban commercial surrogacy in Nigeria.

“Explicit protection against coercion or forced surrogacy arrangements, amongst others. We need legal protection and clarity. 3. Nigerian law should recognise and protect the rights of mothers through surrogacy, ensuring full legal parentage and avoiding court disputes,” the actress clarified.

While further defending surrogacy against stigma, the filmmaker said: “Surrogacy deserves respect, not stigma. It’s a modern solution to infertility. Just like IVF or adoption, it should not be shamed or seen as less than traditional motherhood.

Ini Edo stated that surrogacy gave her the greatest gift and taught her that family isn’t defined by biology or tradition but by love, sacrifice, and unwavering belief.

She encouraged others to understand and respect surrogacy as a modern solution to infertility, just like IVF or adoption.

“As someone who has worked this path, I only ask, before we judge, let us listen. Before we generalise, let us understand.

“And before we speak of surrogacy as a business, let us see it for what it can be, a profound expression of humanity. To anyone working a similar path, know there’s no wrong way to become a parent.

“If anything, it made me more aware of the power of faith and more attuned to the miracle of life. I’m more deeply connected to the idea that motherhood isn’t just something you carry in your body, it is something you carry in your soul,” the actress said.