David Dodge | The New York Times | August 23, 2022
Concerned about losing access to pregnancy care, and fearful of legal consequences, surrogates and those who work with them are rewriting contracts and changing the way they operate.
Ukraine’s Surrogate Mothers Carry Foreigners’ Babies as Debate Grows Over Who Bears the Risks and Rewards
Janice Dickson | The Globe and Mail | August 19, 2022
In Ukraine, commercial surrogacy agencies are pairing foreign clients with Ukrainian surrogates again, even as the war continues. The Globe and Mail interviews multiple surrogates who say they need the money but are worried about their safety amidst the war.
Maine Voices: Surrogacy Process Throws Dobbs Ruling Into Sharp Relief
Erin Cherald | The Press Herald | July 19, 2022
Following the US ruling on abortion, a former surrogate shares the details of her contract that explicitly outlined the risks and her rights during pregnancy. She emphasizes that anti-abortion laws requiring a woman to give birth against her will are exploitation.
Three, Single Gay Dads Reflect on Fatherhood, Surrogacy Journeys
Alana Wise | NPR | June 19, 2022
NPR covers the stories of three single, gay men who became fathers through surrogacy and their journey there
An Actor’s Use of a Surrogate Raises Radical-Feminist Questions
Alyssa Rosenberg | The Washington Post | June 15, 2022
Actress Jamie Chung explained that she and her partner chose surrogacy because she didn’t “want to lose opportunities.” The author of this opinion piece feels Chung’s perspective echoes radical feminist Shulamith Firestone, who believed that biology imprisoned women.
Wombs For Rent: The Legalization of Commercial Surrogacy
Reed Pence, Taina Bien-Aimé, Dr. Linda Kahn, and Ashley Mareko | Radio Health Journal | June 12, 2022
This Radio Health Journal episode showcases three voices in surrogacy policy and practice. The Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women argues that surrogacy is exploitative and can lead to human trafficking. A New York University professor discusses increased risks for pregnancy complications. A three-time surrogate and employee at a surrogacy agency asserts that company policies can safeguard parties in surrogacy arrangements. With no federal surrogacy laws in place, this is a dangerous road to traverse.
Israel’s Openly Gay Health Minister Talks Conversion Therapies, Surrogacy and Religion
Ravit Hecht | Haaretz | June 8, 2022
Israel’s openly gay Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz comments on the new law legalizing surrogacy for gay male couples in Israel. He maintains that surrogacy should be equally accessible for all, with safeguards against exploitation.
Wartime Labour: How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Has Exposed the Reality of the Surrogacy Industry
Anna Feigenbaum | Globe and Mail | May 20, 2022
The war in Ukraine not only illuminates the complexities inherent in international surrogacy, but also requires us to confront broader issues raised by this form of reproduction: how to prevent exploitation of women on the one hand while simultaneously ensuring women have bodily autonomy, and how we think about parenthood, genetic connection, and race and reproduction.
Couple Face Belarus Prison and Loss of Surrogate Child Amid UK Visa Delays
Matthew Weaver | The Guardian | May 10, 2022
A couple intending to enter into a surrogacy arrangement in Belarus is facing imprisonment because their travel visa is going to expire, but they cannot leave the country because the wife’s passport is stuck in an administrative backlog in the UK.
Does Money Affect the Morality of Surrogacy?
J.Y. Lee | Medical Ethics | April 11, 2022
Ethical concerns of commercial surrogacy include exploitation of women and commodification of women’s reproductive capacity. Many countries ban commercial surrogacy to take money out of the equation, but this may oversimplify the virtues and morality of surrogacy arrangements.