by Surrogacy may be the latest medical trend that has filled the world with hope and excitement. For the sole reason that a couple can experience parenthood despite reproductive limitations, surrogacy is seen as the “godly” thing to embrace in the 21st century. Simple, hassle-free, and regular, surrogacy is a life-transforming event for the couple and the surrogate parenting services who carry the baby in her womb.
Despite the excitement around its development, surrogacy is still in its infancy. And therefore, it is riddled with many myths.
Here are 4 Myths That Every Surrogate Parent Has To Deal With:
Table of Contents
Surrogacy is a Rare Phenomenon
Surrogacy is not a rare phenomenon. Between 2004 and 2008, nearly 5000 surrogate babies were born. So far, there are close to 40,000 babies in the world born through surrogate agreements. Therefore, it is not that rare to find a surrogate baby than say a test-tube baby.
In ancient times, kings with no heir from their queens and concubines relied on artificial insemination or surrogate procedures to obtain progeny. In most cases, the king commonly deposited the sperm inside the surrogate mother. While there was no procedure to extract the egg, the biological relationship was lost in the process. Gestational surrogacy has removed that gap. Babies born from surrogacy have at least 50% biological connection with either partner who opted for the procedure.
Surrogacy Could Land You in Trouble
It is only partially true. Surrogacy is not legal in most developed European countries like France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal, the UK, Denmark, and Ireland. In some countries, surrogacy is allowed only when there is no financial transaction involved. That is, surrogacy is done for free and not for any monetary gains. Reasonable expenses could be borne by the intending parents, but only up to a specific limit, that too until delivery and not beyond.
Gays Can’t Have Surrogate Babies.
This is false. Gays have an equal right to enjoy parenthood as normal heterosexual couples. In countries like India, Russia, Ukraine, Thailand, the USA, Nepal, Poland, and Mexico, surrogacy is 100% legal for gays and the LGBT community. However, each surrogacy procedure must be covered legally through an agreement between three parties—the surrogate mother, the donor couple (either father or mother, or gays), and the surrogacy center.
Disapproving surrogacy requests from gays and LGBT is, in fact, a criminal offense. They can’t be denied the opportunity if they clear all the conditions of surrogacy parenthood.
Surrogate Kids are Abnormal
This is not true again. Surrogate babies are just as normal as those born from natural conceptions. The baby’s health is decided by the sperm’s quality, the egg’s age, and the gestational condition that the surrogate mother provides.
Who is a Surrogate Mother?
A surrogate mother is a unique set of individuals who carry a couple’s baby for a certain fee. The surrogate mother may or may not be the egg donor. However, she will be responsible for the entire gestational stage up to delivery, and beyond, in case the newborn baby requires some additional nourishment from its surrogate mother.
