This is another of my "see what the board thinks" questions.
As many of these do, this came up in a conversation among my friends and I wanted to bounce it off a larger group.
Also - Sometimes this discussion is affected by high profile cases where gay couples obtain a baby this way. As Anderson Cooper recently did. For the sake of this discussion, please consider this completely independent of what you think about gay couples and children. Just assume the new parents are loving parents.
Some people are very much against surrogacy saying it's essentially babies for sale.
Others are very much ok with it saying it's not much different than normal adoption.
What is your opinion on surrogacy?
I would ask -
For the folks that are good with it, how do you answer, the "Isn't this just babies for sale?" question?
For folks that are not good with it, how do you answer the "Isn't it just mostly like adoption?" question?
As many of these do, this came up in a conversation among my friends and I wanted to bounce it off a larger group.
Important note. For this discussion, assume it's commercial surrogacy.Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman (the surrogate mother) agrees to bear a child for another person or persons, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth.
People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnancy is medically impossible, when pregnancy risks are too dangerous for the intended mother, or when a single man or a male couple wish to have a child. Surrogacy is considered one of many assisted reproductive technologies.
In surrogacy arrangements, monetary compensation may or may not be involved. Receiving money for the arrangement is known as commercial surrogacy. The legality and cost of surrogacy varies widely between jurisdictions, sometimes resulting in problematic international or interstate surrogacy arrangements. Couples seeking a surrogacy arrangement in a country where it is banned sometimes travel to a jurisdiction that permits it. In some countries, surrogacy is legal only if money does not exchange hands. (See surrogacy laws by country and fertility tourism.)
Where commercial surrogacy is legal, couples may use the help of third-party agencies to assist in the process of surrogacy by finding a surrogate and arranging a surrogacy contract with her. These agencies often screen surrogates' psychological and other medical tests to ensure the best chance of healthy gestation and delivery. They also usually facilitate all legal matters concerning the intended parents and the surrogate.
Also - Sometimes this discussion is affected by high profile cases where gay couples obtain a baby this way. As Anderson Cooper recently did. For the sake of this discussion, please consider this completely independent of what you think about gay couples and children. Just assume the new parents are loving parents.
Some people are very much against surrogacy saying it's essentially babies for sale.
Others are very much ok with it saying it's not much different than normal adoption.
What is your opinion on surrogacy?
I would ask -
For the folks that are good with it, how do you answer, the "Isn't this just babies for sale?" question?
For folks that are not good with it, how do you answer the "Isn't it just mostly like adoption?" question?
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