Many couples in the world get married and intend to start a family together, however this is not always possible for some families. One option for those families is surrogacy. Surrogacy is defined as an agreement with two parties for an adult woman to bear a child conceived through assisted conception for intended parents. In the United States alone, approximately 6.7 million women were diagnosed with infertility. The first known case of surrogacy occurred in California in the mid 1970’s. In 2010, and approximately 7.4 million women ages 15-44 used infertility services. The success of surrogacy is dependent upon numerous factors. Surrogacy poses complications for both the “carrier” of the embryo and the “parents.” Many people may wonder what …show more content…
For example, in Pennsylvania a young woman named Jessica Bartholomew was paid $25,000 to be the surrogate mother of a child. The conceiving of the child would consist of father Lamar Sally’s sperm, a fourth unknown party’s ovum, and the gestation would be carried out in Bartholomew’s womb. On September 12, 2013 Bartholomew, Sally and wife, Sherri Shepherd signed a contract agreeing that Shepherd and Sally would be legal parents to the child that Bartholomew was set to carry. The contract stated that although Shepherd had no genetic connections with the child she would still assume the matronly duties and responsibilities once the child arrive. However, some complications occurred. During approximately the third trimester, Shepherd and Sally filed for divorce. In the midst of the divorce Shepherd decided she no longer wanted any sort of interaction with the child she once agreed to take care of. Shepherd stated “not my egg, not my baby,” she also claimed that she was tricked into signing the agreement and took the case to court. When the child was born August 5, 2014, surrogate mother, Jessica Bartholomew’s name was put on the birth certificate and the child was given to Sally who then registered for Medicaid in the state of California, but due to the fact that Bartholomew’s name was on the birth certificate as the non-custodial parent of the child the state required that she pay Sally child support. During the court case the judge ruled that Shepherd’s name was to be put on the birth certificate and she would take on the responsibilities of a mother. The ruling also stated that Shepherd was to reimburse Bartholomew for the child support she paid and may also have to pay back the state aid that was provided. Shepherd and Sally’s divorce has not yet been finalized. Sally threatened to sue Shepherd with child abandonment, and Shepherd offered to pay Sally $150,000, but
Her children were made fun of, teased and had their own emotions to deal with from the surrogacy. Their family went downhill after this experience. Their “social life” was flipped upside down because of the way people looked at the mother for being a surrogate mother. She even wrote a book telling people not to be surrogate mothers or get involved in the process. She states that it is too much for a family to go through, or even one person to handle. Another complicated surrogate story in the past was in 1986 and is known by “The Baby M Case.” The surrogate mother, Mary Beth, gave birth to Melissa Stern, and decided she wanted to keep her as her own. Due to Mary’s decision there was a two year legal battle with the biological and intended mother and father, Betsy and Bill Stern. Because of their original deal, the Stern’s won custody of baby Melissa and Mary Beth was given visitation rights. This case stirred up many concerns in New Jersey because people began questioning how good surrogate pregnancies would work out. In 1988, surrogate mother, Patty Nowakowski gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The couple she carried the babies for only wanted a girl so they left Patty
A surrogacy is the carrying of a pregnancy for intended parents. There are two kinds of surrogacy: “Gestational”, in which the egg and sperm belong to the intended parents and is carried by the surrogate, and “traditional”, where the surrogate is inseminated with the intended father’s sperm. Regardless of the method, I believe that surrogacy cannot be morally justified. Surrogacy literally means “substitute”, or “replacement”. A surrogate is a replacement for a mother for that 9-month period of pregnancy, and therefore is reducing the role of the surrogate mother to an oversimplified and dehumanizing labor. The pregnancy process for the gestational mother can be very physically and mentally demanding, and is unique because after birthing the
I would have said that it was a generous and thoughtful act of kindness for a surrogate to be willing to help a couple bring a child into this world. I would have never thought deeply about some of the moral and ethical aspects of surrogacy, until now. I have been married for almost four years, and I believe in the unity of marriage and the idea of becoming one. After reading Cahill’s argument on surrogacy, and reflected on my own moral values, I immediately took a stance to agree with her. I believe that when it comes to a child, the best interest of the child should be a top priority. I am not a mother, but I am very passionate about children, and find their lives to be so precious. Parents should always have the child’s best interest in mind when making choices regarding their child’s life. A surrogate may be doing it as an act of kindness, and that may be her intention. However, I agree that surrogacy brings a dualistic element to the relationship. I know that as a married woman I would never hire a surrogate to bear my child, nor be a surrogate to carry someone else’s child. I want children, but I would never want to be treated as the means to an end, and I would not want my child to be considered a commodity. I strongly agree with Cahill in that a binding moral obligation does come with certain choices, even if we did not choose them in the first
The advancement and continued developments of third-party assisted reproductive medical practices has allowed many prospective parents, regardless of their marital status, age, or sexual orientation, to have a new opportunity for genetically or biologically connected children. With these developments come a number of rather complex ethical issues and ongoing discussions regarding assisted reproduction within our society today. These issues include the use of reproductive drugs, gestational services such as surrogacy as well as the rights of those seeking these drugs and services and the responsibilities of the professionals who offer and practice these services.
In conclusion, Surrogacy has played a significant role in people’s lives. It has established itself as a reliable way of having babies for infertile and couples of the same genders to have babies. Surrogacy has its negative effects just like everything else. With the help of Surrogacy infertile and non-infertile couples are able to bond and share the same genes as their children. Surrogacy has taught me how difficult it can be for couples to have babies, however, it has also taught me how society views it in such a negative
Abortion has so many different view points on the topic, some positive some negative. Roe verse Wade played a huge part in the decision making process on abortion. Everyone has their own opinions about abortion but the opinion concerning when life begins had a significant effect on a person’s views concerning whether they are for or against abortion. The studies of long term effects from abortion on women are traumatic and devastating. They can include mental, physical, and emotional problems after an abortion.
“Sometimes when making something so precious, beautiful and unique, it takes an extra helping heart” (Author Unknown). To me, surrogate motherhood is giving the gift of a child to an individual who cannot carry a child themselves. I chose this topic because it interests me to see what kind of problems are linked with the journey of surrogacy. I have seen plenty of fictional movies about surrogate mothers, and I wanted to learn if any of these issues happened in real life situations. Before I began my research I thought about the ethical, legal, and social problems that could arise during the process of surrogacy. Legally, I thought you could be a surrogate
different from the surrogacy that we used to learned in the class. To be able to get pregnant,
The addition of a child into a family’s home is a happy occasion. Unfortunately, some families are unable to have a child due to unforeseen problems, and they must pursue other means than natural pregnancy. Some couples adopt and other couples follow a different path; they utilize in vitro fertilization or surrogate motherhood. The process is complicated, unreliable, but ultimately can give the parents the gift of a child they otherwise could not have had. At the same time, as the process becomes more and more advanced and scientists are able to predict the outcome of the technique, the choice of what child is born is placed in the hands of the parents. Instead of waiting to see if the child had the mother’s eyes, the father’s hair or Grandma’s heart problem, the parents and doctors can select the best eggs and the best sperm to create the perfect child. Many see the rise of in vitro fertilization as the second coming of the Eugenics movement of the 19th and early 20th century. A process that is able to bring joy to so many parents is also seen as deciding who is able to reproduce and what child is worthy of birthing.
Surrogacy is becoming extremely popular as a way for people to build their families and women to have a source of income. Many people have various reasons for their opposition to it whether it be by comparing it to prostitution or disagreeing with how military wives take advantage of the Tricare insurance. Lorraine Ali states in her article “The Curious Lives of Surrogates” that one of the more popular reasons to oppose surrogacy is that it contradicts, “what we’ve always thought of as an unbreakable bond between mother and child.” However, a woman’s inability to conceive her own children does not determine the absence of a mother to child bond.
Gestational surrogacy, especially when it involves commercial surrogates, challenges the status quo in the ethical theory of reproduction, because with this technology the process of producing a child can no longer remain a private matter. Now a public contract exists between two parties, the couple and the surrogate ...
Arguments against commercial surrogacy typically revolve around the idea that surrogacy is a form of child-selling. Critics believe that commercial surrogacy violates both women’s and children’s rights. In addition, by making surrogacy contracts legally enforceable, courts will follow the contract rather than choose what is best for the child. However, in her article “Surrogate Mothering: Exploring Empowerment” Laura Pudry is not convinced by these arguments.
A woman enters into a contract that consists on her getting pregnant with a strangers sperms, and after the baby is born, to give up the baby. The stranger is going to pay the medical expenses and $10,000 in exchange of claiming all the parental rights when the baby is born. The stranger is a good person who has not been able to have children on his own. Why does the morality of the action may seem doubtful? Philosopher Elizabeth Anderson wrote an essay called “is Women’s Labor a Commodity?” to explain in detail the reasons of commercial surrogacy being morally wrong. In her paper, Anderson explains that commercial surrogacy treats children and parental rights as objects that could be bought and sold for personal convenience. According to
As a young adult, it may seem foolish to predict what your future family life will look like, especially in regards to children. Often times this reality is forced upon a select few, particularly homosexual couples; however, with the innovation of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a couple is met with promise and the hope of a successful family life. IVF can be described as a process by which a fetus is genetically formed in a laboratory setting. Though this process may seem unnatural in essence, it allows for a more diverse family arrangement through medical innovation. This procedure, though controversial, is seen by many as an advancement in the medical field and can be accredited to procuring a healthy child for an unfortunate family, whether
Most young people envision their future in the realm of getting married and creating a family. One of the most devastating things that can happen to a young couple is to be told they cannot have children. There are several options the couple can pursue, and one of those options available is surrogacy. Society today is torn on whether or not surrogacy should be legal in today’s world. Surrogacy is very controversial for many people around the world, and opinions are strong on the subject. Surrogacy is defined as the utilization of a third party female in order for a infertile family to create a biological child for their family. Legalized surrogacy is important to many couples as an option of creating the family they have always dreamed