(Originally published in The Federalist) The “Assisted Reproduction and Surrogacy Parentage Act,” which decriminalizes surrogate motherhood in the state of Michigan, is planned to take effect in March of this year. Michigan is the last state to decriminalize paid surrogacy, and some may say it’s about time they “catch up” to the rest of the country. One surrogacy agency recently posted that “choosing to carry a child for another family is one of the most profound gifts of love and compassion.” On the surface, surrogacy would appear this way, as what could possibly be wrong with helping couples
(Originally published in The Federalist) In December, gay father Balázs Boross published “Queering babies: (Auto)ethnographic reflections from a gay parent through surrogacy” in the journal Psychoanalysis, Culture, and Society. The essay “explores how encounters with [a surrogate baby] disrupt or confirm normative expectations about the ‘babyness’ of babies, the ‘parentness’ of parents.” Boross suggests “surrogate babies are queer creatures by default,” “given their prenatal history,” and “that queerness can serve as a window into the queerness of all babies.” Evolutionary biologist and Manhat
Marty and Melinda Rangers commissioned a surrogate pregnancy that ended in a twenty-week abortion after they alleged the surrogate violated contract terms by drinking alcohol, which they believed endangered the baby. The couple spent $300,000 on three commissioned children, with the first child aborted due to concerns over potential disabilities, highlighting issues of commodification and ableism within the fertility industry.
The CBC Network is proud to support international efforts to protect the dignity of women and babies whenever and wherever we can. Recently, we were able to support two French organizations working to educate about the “flagrant human rights violations” rampant in surrogacy. These organizations relied on the stories of surrogate mothers Gloria (featured here) […] The post Supporting International Bioethics Efforts appeared first on The Center for Bioethics & Culture Network .
Today is a great day of celebration for those of us who have worked tirelessly to stop the exploitation of women and the sale of children through contract surrogate pregnancies. The vote was taken and the Italian government approved it. Surrogacy remains illegal in Italy and individuals or couples are who travel outside of Italy […] The post Brava Italia! Jennifer Lahl, founder The Center for Bioethics and Culture appeared first on The Center for Bioethics & Culture Network .
