Surrogate Parenting: The Controversies

Surrogate parenting is an extremely controversial issue. Even so, the process of surrogate parenting still enjoys significant fame as the practical way for couples who want children but can’t have them. Contract surrogacy, which has been widely employed even in older times, is still growing in popularity despite the legal issues that the practice is facing currently.

Surrogate parenting refers to an option for women with healthy eggs who either don’t have a normal uterus or are unable to carry a baby for reasons medical. The process of surrogate parenting entails removing the woman’s eggs, fertilizing it with the male’s sperm and implanting them in the uterus of a surrogate mother. The surrogate mother then agrees to conceive the child, carry it to term, and then give up all parental rights of the child to the couple. Usually, the surrogate mother is compensated for her services. The arrangement is considered a done deal when the father, together with his wife, acknowledges the paternity and adoption of the child.

Surrogate parenting is a more time-saving alternative for couples who do not want to go through the long process of adopting a baby. There’s no need to wait for an indefinite period before the couple can actually claim a child to be their own, as is the case with modern child adoption. Moreover, surrogate parenting provides the couple a deeper sense of responsibility and ownership due to the fact that they have biologically contributed to the process. As long as the individuals involved in the surrogate parenting process are well-informed and are fully knowledgeable of the advantages and disadvantages of the arrangement, surrogate parenting can be a great step that childless couples can take.

Unfortunately, surrogate parenting is also beset with a lot of legal issues. And the laws aren’t really that helpful on surrogate parenting. Some states in the country do not acknowledge contracts between childless couples and surrogate mothers. So when a surrogate mother changes her mind and decides to keep the baby for herself, the problem about who has the rights to the child arises. The increasing number of custody cases regarding surrogate parenting is proof of the vulnerability of the contract of surrogacy process. The outcomes of cases on surrogate parenting such as this would be prevented if the law provided absolute protection against any violation of contract between couples and surrogate mothers. A host mother would also benefit from therapies and support groups that would help prepare her for the tremendous act of giving up her child. She should also be made to fully understand about the irreversibility of the contract she’s under.

Surrogate parenting does not contend with custody battles alone. There are also cases when the dispute is about who’s going to take the child as their own, most especially if the baby is born with a handicap. This predicament can be avoided if in the beginning of the surrogacy process, it had been made clear that breach of contract is forbidden. Luckily, not all cases end up as depressing as these. There were those that ended up the way they were intended to, with the child wonderfully ensconced in the care of the adopting couples.

Despite the setbacks that surrogate parenting present to couples and surrogate mothers, it’s still a growing industry. This is because the procedure is a far superior alternative that can meet the immediate need of childless couples, without the hassle that come with lengthy and complicated procedures.