Dr Katherine Wade
PhD, LLM, BCL
Expertise
Katherine researches assisted reproduction from a children's rights perspective, with a focus on surrogacy and donor conception. She is particularly interested in listening to children and young people's views on these issues.
Current positions
Senior Lecturer in Law
University of Bristol Law School
Contact
Press and media
Many of our academics speak to the media as experts in their field of research. If you are a journalist, please contact the University’s Media and PR Team:
Biography
Katherine is a Lecturer in Family Law. Her research areas are in family law, medical law and children's rights. Her current research examines issues in assisted reproduction from a children's rights perspective, with a focus on surrogacy and donor conception. She has written articles on access to origin information, surrogacy and identity rights in leading journals and contributes case commentaries to medical law and family law journals.
She is PI on a project called Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law (CVSL), which collects and analyses children's views on surrogacy law reform (with Professor Kirsty Horsey and Dr Zaina Mahmoud). This was funded by an Institute of Medical Ethics grant (£10,000) and a Research England participatory research grant (University of Leicester, £12,000). Phase 1 spoke to children with experience of surrogacy and Phase 2 involved school children. The team are currently undertaking Phase 3 with children born through international surrogacy. This is being co-produced with organisations, young people and an artist (Research England Participatory Research Fund, University of Bristol, £11,500). Phase 1 of this research was cited in the Law Commission of England and Wales and Scottish Law Commission's 2023 Report on Surrogacy and a Nuffield Council on Bioethics Briefing Paper in 2023.
Katherine is interested in ensuring her work has impact and engages the public. She is currently editing a book called Future Directions in Surrogacy Law, based on an SLS-funded conference in November 2022. She has organised a Young Person’s Conference Panel on surrogacy, a Young Person’s Law Reform Club at the University of Leicester (Festival of Social Sciences, 2022), and a CVSL Art Exhibition at the Attenborough Arts Centre. Work from her project is available as reports, a Digital Art Wall and an animation on the project’s website: Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law | (bristol.ac.uk)
She is PI on a project called Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law (CVSL), which collects and analyses children's views on surrogacy law reform (with Professor Kirsty Horsey and Dr Zaina Mahmoud). This was funded by an Institute of Medical Ethics grant (£10,000) and a Research England participatory research grant (University of Leicester, £12,000). Phase 1 spoke to children with experience of surrogacy and Phase 2 involved school children. The team are currently undertaking Phase 3 with children born through international surrogacy. This is being co-produced with organisations, young people and an artist (Research England Participatory Research Fund, University of Bristol, £11,500). Phase 1 of this research was cited in the Law Commission of England and Wales and Scottish Law Commission's 2023 Report on Surrogacy and a Nuffield Council on Bioethics Briefing Paper in 2023.
Katherine is interested in ensuring her work has impact and engages the public. She is currently editing a book called Future Directions in Surrogacy Law, based on an SLS-funded conference in November 2022. She has organised a Young Person’s Conference Panel on surrogacy, a Young Person’s Law Reform Club at the University of Leicester (Festival of Social Sciences, 2022), and a CVSL Art Exhibition at the Attenborough Arts Centre. Work from her project is available as reports, a Digital Art Wall and an animation on the project’s website: Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law | (bristol.ac.uk)
Publications
Recent publications
27/03/2025Introduction: Future Directions in Surrogacy Law
Future Directions in Surrogacy Law
The Creation of the Surrogacy Register
Future Directions in Surrogacy Law
Future Directions in Surrogacy Law
Future Directions in Surrogacy Law
Reform of the Legal Framework for Origin Information in Assisted Reproduction
Family Law Reform Now
Children’s Voices in Surrogacy Law: Phase One Preliminary Report
Teaching
Katherine is a Lecturer in Family Law. She researches in family law, medical law and children's rights. Her current research examines issues in assisted reproduction from a children's rights perspective, with a focus on surrogacy and donor conception.
She has written articles on access to origin information, surrogacy and identity rights in leading journals and contributes case commentaries to medical law and family law journals.
She leads a project called Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law, which collects and analyses children's views on surrogacy law reform (with Professor Kirsty Horsey and Dr Zaina Mahmoud). This was funded by an Institute of Medical Ethics grant (£10,000) and a Research England participatory research grant (University of Leicester, £12,000). Phase 1 spoke to children with experience of surrogacy and Phase 2 involved school children. The team are currently undertaking Phase 3 with children born through international surrogacy. This is being co-produced with organisations, young people and an artist (Research England Participatory Research Fund, University of Bristol, £11,500). Phase 1 of this research was cited in the Law Commission of England and Wales and Scottish Law Commission's 2023 Report on Surrogacy and a Nuffield Council on Bioethics Briefing Paper in 2023.
Katherine is interested in ensuring her work has impact and engages the public. She is currently editing a book called Future Directions in Surrogacy Law, based on an SLS-funded conference in November 2022. She has organised a Young Person’s conference panel on surrogacy, a Young Person’s Law Reform Club at the University of Leicester (Festival of Social Sciences, 2022), and a children's art exhibition at the Attenborough Arts Centre. Work from her project is available as reports, a Digital Art Wall and an animation here on the Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law website.
She has written articles on access to origin information, surrogacy and identity rights in leading journals and contributes case commentaries to medical law and family law journals.
She leads a project called Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law, which collects and analyses children's views on surrogacy law reform (with Professor Kirsty Horsey and Dr Zaina Mahmoud). This was funded by an Institute of Medical Ethics grant (£10,000) and a Research England participatory research grant (University of Leicester, £12,000). Phase 1 spoke to children with experience of surrogacy and Phase 2 involved school children. The team are currently undertaking Phase 3 with children born through international surrogacy. This is being co-produced with organisations, young people and an artist (Research England Participatory Research Fund, University of Bristol, £11,500). Phase 1 of this research was cited in the Law Commission of England and Wales and Scottish Law Commission's 2023 Report on Surrogacy and a Nuffield Council on Bioethics Briefing Paper in 2023.
Katherine is interested in ensuring her work has impact and engages the public. She is currently editing a book called Future Directions in Surrogacy Law, based on an SLS-funded conference in November 2022. She has organised a Young Person’s conference panel on surrogacy, a Young Person’s Law Reform Club at the University of Leicester (Festival of Social Sciences, 2022), and a children's art exhibition at the Attenborough Arts Centre. Work from her project is available as reports, a Digital Art Wall and an animation here on the Children's Voices in Surrogacy Law website.