My name is Olivia Maurel.

I am a mother of three, an author, an international human rights advocate for the universal abolition of surrogacy as the spokesperson of the Declaration of Casablanca.

I am also a woman who was born through surrogacy.

My book, Where Are You, Mom? (Où es-tu, maman ?), tells a story that is still rarely heard: the story of a child born through surrogacy who grows up and dares to speak.

This book is not an opinion piece.

It is not ideology.

It is lived experience.

In it, I recount my childhood, the unanswered questions, the identity fracture, the trauma of separation at birth, and the long psychological journey that followed. I also write as a woman who later became a mother herself, and who then fully understood what it means to separate a baby from the woman who carried and gave birth to them.

The book has already been published in French, Spanish, Dutch, Slovak and soon German and is being used in universities, parliamentary hearings, conferences, and international institutions.

It has helped shift conversations, challenge narratives, and, most importantly, restore the voices of children who are usually spoken about, but never listened to.

Why an English translation matters

The English-speaking world is where global norms are shaped. It is where:

Yet in that space, the voices of people born through surrogacy are almost entirely absent.

Translating this book into English is not about my personal story alone.

It is about ensuring that decision-makers, journalists, scholars, NGOs, and policymakers can no longer say: “We didn’t know.”

This translation would allow the book to reach:

It would become a tool, for education, for advocacy, and for protection.

Why I need your help

A respected feminist publisher has agreed to publish the English edition. The book is ready.

The only remaining obstacle is the cost of professional translation.

To make this project possible, I need to raise €7,000 to cover:

This is not a commercial project ; I do not make this request lightly.

I am asking for support because this book does not belong only to me.

It belongs to the women whose bodies are commodified.

It belongs to the children whose origins are erased.

It belongs to a generation that deserves truth instead of marketing slogans.

If you believe that women’s bodies should not be rented, that children should never be treated as products and lived experience deserves to be heard...

Then I invite you to support this translation, whether through a donation, sharing this page, or helping it reach someone who can.

Thank you for helping a silenced story cross borders.

Thank you for helping truth travel.

Olivia Maurel