The Curious Lives of Surrogates

"Surrogates challenge our most basic ideas about motherhood, and call into question what we've always thought of as an unbreakable bond between mother and child."

The melodrama is uncalled for in a serious article. Medea, anyone? The idea that thebond between mother and child is unbreakable is nonsense, and has been understood as such for centuries.

To Manny62 : You are a fool. 1 minute's thinking , if you are capable of thinking, will tell you, that people who WANTS children, but cannot have them unless they are helped by a surrogate, will make MUCH better parents than people who have children without wanting them. And there are a lot of those in the world.

There are already too many people in the world and helping those who naturally cannot have children to have them does not help.

There are already too many people in the world and helping those who naturally cannot have children to have them does not help.

We commend Newsweek for the in-depth look at surrogacy from the standpoint of surrogates. Alongside a summary of background information, it does a good job focusing on the personal and emotional stories of the women without whom none of this could have been possible. I have always been diligent in stressing that the surrogates and their families are to be cherished and respected for their roles and that both them and the intended parents should have an experience that is not just successful but also positive throughout.

However, I find the "Womb for Rent" title to be unfortunate and inconsistent with the content of the article... As the writers point out, most of these women certainly do not see it this way... In fact, "womb for rent" is considered by many of us as the derogative way some uninformed people look at surrogacy... It is a shame that sensationalism on the part of editors may send the wrong message and overshadow the more balanced content of article itself.
Respectfully,
John Weltman, President and Founder
Circle Surrogacy
www.circlesurrogacy.com

Wombs to rent 50 cents, no phone, some food, no pets, she wont smoke no cigarettes and now 2 hours of pushing

Raina Kelley emailed me stating the article would be "positive." However, this cynical "expose" does little more than promote the view that military wives who are surrogates are cheating the military and Tricare of health benefits. Newsweek's story is designed to create controversy, that's all. It's just another spin on an old tired debate and sheds no new light. Shirley Zager, Organization of Parents Through Surrogacy

with
with
Shirley Zager, Organization of Parents Through Surrogacy.

This story, which Raina Kelley at Newsweek stated by email would be a "positive,"one, promotes
the view that surrogates are cheating the military of health benefits. It's more of the same tired
ethics debate, with a military hook. We're sorry we helped with information.Shirley Zager OPTS
any other purpose to this story. Positive information we provided was not used. Shirley Zager, OPTSOPTSformationley Zager, OPTS

Wombs to rent 50 cents, no phone, some food, no pets, she wont smoke no cigarettes and now 2 hours of pushing

Not all of us surrogates take fees either which I didn't see mentioned (maybe I missed it?)...some of us do it out of compassion for friends or family. I did it for free. I did it out of love. It was very difficult, yes, but looking back, a year and a half later, I am proud of those little ones and relish in calling them my surrogate angels.

Why can't people just adopt? Give me a break and get real. Adoption, while I think it's a wonderful option, is NOT an option available to everyone. I've talked w/couple's that have gone through 2,3,4 failed adoptions where they've spent a ton of money, only to have the birth mother change her mind. What about gay couples? Unless they want to lie about who they are and their partners, adoptiong is NOT an option for many of them. Then you have the older couples that have tried desperately for years to have children, try to move on to adoption, only to be told in the end that they are too old to adopt. (I've talked to MANY couples that fit this scenario as well....it happens alot) So, do YOU have children?? If so, are they biological children, or did you adopt? If they aren't adopted, WHY NOT? There are children out there who would like to be loved by a family....your own words. So why are you "better" than a couple who chooses to persue surrogacy?

As a gestational carrier for a gay couple, I'm proud that they chose to do what was best for them in creating a family. They did not enter into this lightly and spent over 4yrs researching surrogacy before moving ahead. No, obviously not every couple does this amt of research, but they did exhaust all other options before deciding this was the way to go. And for what it's worth, despite the spin this article puts out about the compensation, I will agree that yes, there are some out there to try and make money off of these couples, in general it is NOT about the money for the majority. One reason why many of us reluctantly accept anything is because of the very real risk to our bodies and our health, not to mention risk of death which occurs w/any pregnancy. The article really could have chosen to focus less on something like the comp that is less important than the journey and why we surrogates do this.

this is the world of technology and if all the parties involved are happy with the out come then there should be no problems with any of the arrangements. www.newjourneyrecovery

Our 2 month old son is sleeping on my chest as I write this. He wouldn't be here without the selfless generosity of our surrogate mother. How people can see surrogacy as anything other than a gift of love is beyond me! I'm unable to bear my own children, and otherwise would have lived a childless life, but for the amazing woman who bore our son. I'm proud to be a part of such an amazing movement, and even more proud of my beautiful little boy and the woman who healed our hearts, created our family, and made our dreams come true.

It is amazing that people find this act as a negative. It is better than having people with genetic problems that prevented babies from happening in the first place. I know couple that have done this and it is amazing to see how much more love these people give thier child than those that had an "accident". Anyone seen Juno?

Wombs to rent 50 cents, no phone, some food, no pets, she wont smoke no cigarettes and now 2 hours of pushing

I've been a surrogate 4 times for 3 different couples...the experience was one I enjoyed fully and consider my life's calling.

What's wrong with women giving of themselves, like so many others do in the world? Many professionals involved in the process of building families through surrogacy receive compensation too (ie. attorneys, IVF clinics, obstetricians, agencies) - a surrogate's role is very similar. We don't think of these children as our own...just as a childcare provider would never consider keeping another person's child as her own - most of us truly feel our roles are that of a prenatal nanny.

Anyone considering surrogacy should dig deep in their hearts and consider the struggles of others in the world. As a military wife, mom of 4, and social worker, I've done just that...knowing that I've contributed to helping these unfortunate couples build the family they've always dreamed of, is nothing less then beautiful.

www.coteclan.com

While I adore my children, the experience of being pregnant was not enjoyable at all. The only thing that made it bearable was the reward at the end; a healthy child of my own.

But to go through all that, and when the 9 months are up, give up the child? Not enough money on the planet for me.

As far as others are concerned, however, I think that as long as there are safeguards in place to prevent exploitation of the surrogate, and protections for the parents-to-be, who is this hurting? Life, however it comes to be, is precious.