The Pope has recently made statements indicating that surrogacy was “inhuman” and “despicable.” He spoke of women, typically those who were poor, being exploited and used as surrogates with few rights and little compensation. Additionally, he talked of how children created in this way could become human trafficking objects. Since he came out with these comments, several other Christian leaders have made similar statements about surrogacy in general.

However, those who see the value in surrogacy point out that there are many laws to protect surrogates, especially in the United States, and more changes to those laws are being considered. They also point out that surrogacy is actually as old as the Bible. Abraham and Sarah were unable to have a child, and Sarah arranged for Abraham to have a child with Hagar, who was Sarah’s Egyptian slave.

While Sarah later gave birth to Isaac, the child of Abraham and Hagar, who was named Ishmael, came first. Sarah and Abraham are far from alone in the struggles they were facing. It’s believed that nearly 20 percent of heterosexual couples deal with infertility. Others want to have children but have medical conditions that make it too risky. Of course, there are also individuals and same-sex couples who want children, as well.

Surrogacy has been used throughout history, but it was often handled very quietly and discretely. That all changed in 1984 when a couple publicly advertised for a surrogate. After the baby was born, though, the surrogate wanted to keep the child and a court battle ensued. While custody of the child was given to the couple in the end, the judge also forbid any further surrogacy arrangements, stopping the couple from having additional children this way. The law in that state has since been updated with a robust surrogacy statue. 

As we can see, surrogacy has been around for thousands of years. It’s not new, but it is talked about much more than it used to be. That’s bringing a lot of opinions to light, and encouraging the creation of new laws and guidelines that will increase protections for everyone involved in the process.

We aim to provide our clients with a straightforward breakdown of what might seem to be a complicated and daunting process so that they can enjoy the beautiful experience of bringing a child into the world through surrogacy. Learn more and schedule your consultation today!