February 7, 2014
Surrogacy, an arrangement in which a woman carries and births the biological child of another individual or couple who will raise the child, is a complex issue from a medical, legal and moral standpoint, though the few statistics available about the practice suggest it is on the rise.
There are two types of surrogacy, traditional and gestational. In
traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is artificially inseminated and becomes the genetic mother of the child. In gestational surrogacy a fertilized egg is implanted in the surrogate, who then carries the child until birth but has no genetic relation to the child.
A 2010 report from the Council for Responsible Genetics says there are hardly any statistics available on the prevalence of surrogacy in America. Based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, however, the report states that the number of children born as a result of
gestational surrogacy nearly doubled between 2004 and 2008, from 738 births to almost 1,400.
"These numbers, while only skimming the surface of the entire surrogacy market, will surely continue to rise," the report states.
But who is using this nontraditional method of building a family? Dr. Samantha Pfeifer, chair of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's Practice Committee, says those who use surrogates are typically couples who cannot have children naturally.
"[The women] desire to have a biological child with their partner or spouse but they're unable to because they lack a uterus or a competent uterus," Pfeifer told The Christian Post. Issues such as repeated miscarriages or the removal of the woman's uterus due to cancer are among the reasons she says some couples turn to
surrogacy.
On the surrogate's end, there isn't much to be gained financially, said Pfeifer, except in some high-profile cases.
"They are basically reimbursed for expenses," she said. "Typically, with the majority of surrogates, there is not a huge amount of monetary advantage to being a surrogate."
She later added: "The intention is not to coerce women to do this. The intention is to pay for expenses, loss of time from work and things like that, but it's not intended to be a huge amount of money that could potentially be viewed as a coercion."
An ideal surrogate is, among other things, a woman who has already successfully given birth to a child, said Pfeifer. In some cases she is a family member or friend of those who want a child, while in others she is someone who is found through a
surrogacy agency.
In addition to medical exams, psychological evaluations are also recommended for both the surrogate and the would-be parents before proceeding.
"It's a very important part of evaluation," Pfeifer noted. "Again, do no harm. We don't want to do anything to potentially harm the person carrying the pregnancy or the baby."
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