Surrogate Parents

For many infertile couples, the assistance of a surrogate mother represents one last hope for becoming a genetic parent. They thus turn to surrogate mothers, or women who bear children for couples who cannot become parents through normal pregnancy and childbirth (Gentry). With careful preparation on both sides, surrogate parenting can be a viable option for couples to conceive a child and add to their family.

For many critics, the concept of a surrogate parent still retains the tinges of the 1986 Baby M. case, where the surrogate mother refused to give the baby to the intended parents. Others charge that this practice provides another opportunity for couples to exploit poor women.

However, statistics show that the practice of surrogacy is steadily growing. Figures from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) show that there were 1,210 attempts at surrogacies in the year 2000, doubling the figure from 1997...
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