Legal Nature of the Contract of Surrogate Mother

The contract of surrogate mother is a contract in which a woman accepts to carry an embryo made of sperm and ovule of intended couple in her womb and delivers child after the birth. This new contract has posed a lot of questions, as far as jurists and lawyers are concerned. One of the most important issues in this regard is the determination of the legal nature of the surrogate contract, since the issue of the legal framework of the contract adaptable with the common will of the parties has a significant impact on the determination of the legal relationship between the parties. Jurists and lawyers suggest and examine some legal structures, such as lease, award, loan, deposit and innominate contracts, as proper structures for this contract. This article discusses conclusion of the surrogate mother contract through the above-mentioned legal structures. It argues that the legal nature of this contract cannot be based on nominate contracts, and therefore, it can be justified on the basis of article 10 of the Iranian Civil Code.