Unit A Reproduction

4.8
Explore an Issue
DECISION MAKING SKILLS
Defining the Issue
Researching
Identifying Alternatives
Analyzing the Issue
Defending a Decision
Communicating
Evaluating
Surrogate Mothers
All the technologies described in Section 4.7 involve the mother becoming
pregnant and delivering the baby nine months later. Sometimes, the mother
can conceive but is unable to maintain a pregnancy, and so cannot produce a
baby. In this situation, artificial reproductive technologies do not help. In the
past, the only opportunity for these couples to become parents was to adopt
a child.
The Issue: Surrogate Mothers
Because of advances in reproductive technologies, it is possible
to remove an egg from a woman, fertilize the egg with sperm in
vitro, and then transfer the embryo into the uterus of another
woman—a surrogate mother. The surrogate mother is pregnant
with the fetus for nine months, and then returns the newborn
to the genetic mother. Surrogacy made headlines in 2004, when
U.S. television personality Joan Lunden announced that she
had hired a surrogate mother. The surrogate mother gave birth
to twins (Figure 1).
Statement
The law should allow couples who cannot have children
naturally to hire a surrogate mother.
Background to the Issue
In some cases, the genetic mother cannot physically carry a baby to term or
does not want to be pregnant. A healthy woman acts as surrogate mother by
becoming pregnant with an embryo that is conceived through IVF and
contains the DNA of the genetic mother and father. Often a female friend or
relative volunteers to be the surrogate. Commercial surrogacy occurs when
the surrogate mother carries the developing baby for a fee. A contract is
entered into by both parties: the surrogate mother and the genetic parents.
Figure 1 Surrogate mother Deborah
Bolig (left) and Joan Lunden (right) hold
the twins.
Make a Decision
A series of meetings have been organized by the federal and provincial
governments to address the concerns related to the hiring of surrogates.
Many of the stakeholders have been asked to make presentations at these
meetings. The stakeholders have very different perspectives about surrogacy.
NEL
4.8 Explore an Issue 137