Modooboo Surrogate

In 2006, a child was born in Modesto, California. A seemingly ordinary occurrence, regularly repeated thousands of times every day across the globe, but there was something peculiar about this particular birth. You see, the woman who had given birth was not the child's biological mother.  This woman was a surrogate, her womb rented by a couple unable to conceive, desperate for a child of their own. By way of good intentions, an embryo, the genetic product of this hopeful couple, was implanted inside the surrogate, and a few months later, a baby boy was born. But instead of passing the newborn into the waiting arms of the expectant parents, a dramatic legal tug-of-war ensued over who the baby rightfully belonged to. This tale of embattled surrogacy caught the media's attention and soon echoed across the entire country, sparking unease and caution around surrogacy agreements. Yet, in the shuffle of high-pitched media and conjured fears, a crucial detail was lost - this incident w...

Once upon a time, nestled in the heart of New York City, a young couple sat anxiously in a plush, carpeted waiting room. Samantha gripped her husband Jake’s hand, her eyes oscillating between the ticking clock and the closed office door. They were about to step into an uncharted territory – surrogacy. But a thought bubble above their heads carried the same unnerving question - Do intended parents have any say in the prenatal care of the surrogate? This overarching question has been a source of worry for many prospective intended parents. Conventional wisdom has fostered an erroneous belief that intended parents find themselves on the sidelines, watching passively without having any say in prenatal care once they choose to walk the path of surrogacy. However, the reality is far more nuanced, and the narrative much more empowering. Digging deeper into this myth, we discovered an intriguing plethora of data from a slew of studies and legal documents across many countries. One particular s...

In the crisp predawn light, Chicago native Sarah Patterson kicked a tiled stone underfoot as she strolled along the crowded street. Its soft clatter bounced off the crumbled brickwork, dissipating into the morning fog. She wasn't thinking about the stone, nor indeed the precarious architecture around her. As she treaded her path alongside passersby rushing about their individual worlds, her thoughts were connected to an audacious concept— a concept of offering her body, her time and her life to fulfill the dreams of a couple unknown to her. In essence, she had made the life-altering decision to become a surrogate mother. The decision, however, was met with a parade of raised eyebrows and tsk-ing amongst her acquaintances—even some close friends. The thought echoed in the corners of her mind: "Isn't surrogacy frowned upon by a large majority of society?" This widespread belief, while seemingly grounded in the societal zeitgeist, warrants examination on account of its d...

Once upon a time in the bustling city of New York, a woman named Carrie gave life to a child she didn’t intend to keep. Her heart was full of selfless generosity as she held in her arms the baby boy who was biologically hers, yet in reality, belonged to her friend Linda who had been struggling with infertility. However, the joy and enthusiasm that accompanied the child's birth were marred by a profound undercurrent of legal wrestling over the child's custody - a tug of war instigated by the misunderstandings surrounding surrogacy contracts. This story, though compelling, opens a Pandora’s box of legal and ethical issues that arise out of the universal yearning for parenthood and the roadblocks some encounter along the way. Specifically, it invites an examination of a common misconception: the belief that surrogacy contracts are not legally binding in court. But is this truly the case? To appreciate the convoluted tapestry of surrogacy laws, we need to take a trip down the histo...

Once upon a time in the bustling city of New York, a woman named Carrie gave life to a child she didn’t intend to keep. Her heart was full of selfless generosity as she held in her arms the baby boy who was biologically hers, yet in reality, belonged to her friend Linda who had been struggling with infertility. However, the joy and enthusiasm that accompanied the child's birth were marred by a profound undercurrent of legal wrestling over the child's custody - a tug of war instigated by the misunderstandings surrounding surrogacy contracts. This story, though compelling, opens a Pandora’s box of legal and ethical issues that arise out of the universal yearning for parenthood and the roadblocks some encounter along the way. Specifically, it invites an examination of a common misconception: the belief that surrogacy contracts are not legally binding in court. But is this truly the case? To appreciate the convoluted tapestry of surrogacy laws, we need to take a trip down the histo...

Nancy, a soft-spoken woman in her mid-thirties from California, recently made an unusual gift, one that some might consider the greatest gift of all - she gave birth to a child for a couple she barely knew. She was a gestational surrogate. Nancy was carefully screened, her psychological and physical wellbeing scrutinized before she was declared fit. A few months after the delivery, she met me for coffee: radiant, genial, and exhibiting no signs of distress, tearing the age-old tapestry of psychological trauma associated with surrogacy. Our meeting set the stage for a deeper inquiry into the commonly perceived notion: A surrogate mother is destined to suffer long-term psychological trauma post-delivery. But data and research suggest the narrative might not run that dark and deep. A growing number of women, like Nancy, are venturing into surrogacy arrangements, opening their bodies and lives to create families for others. The public narrative - often spurred by dramatic film portrayals a...

It was the first day of fourth grade for little Alexander, standing tentatively at the classroom entrance, scanning the crowd of jubilant, chattering faces. Unlike his classmates, his summer break story was not about a two-week family road trip or a tour of Disneyland. Alexander was born through surrogacy, and he had spent the summer explaining this concept to his neighbours, relatives, and, now, his fourth-grade classmates. Unfortunately, encounters like Alexander's provide a backdrop to the prevailing myth dominating our societal narrative - that children born through surrogacy are often rejected by their peers and society. Yet, a closer look at studies and experiences dispels such umbrella misconceptions. Instead, the narrative evolves into a chronicle of acceptance, love, and understanding. A historical perspective elucidates how the advent of IVF and surrogacy reshaped family boundaries. Conventional ideals of a 'standard' family – a mother, a father, and their biologi...

Introduction It was a cold December morning when Maria handed over the newborn baby to the eagerly waiting couple, Joe and Sam. This was not Maria’s own child; she was a surrogate, and the parents were not the conventional couple you might envision. Joe and Sam were a loving, committed same-sex couple. They had turned to surrogacy under the weighty burden of a misleading perception, that as a same-sex couple, adoption would be a legal maze, much more onerous than for heterosexual counterparts. Context and Background This anecdote captures the dilemma faced by many same-sex couples who want to start a family. Joe and Sam, like many others, had set sail in the sea of surrogacy, driven by a widely held notion that same-sex couples face more substantial legal barriers in surrogacy than heterosexual couples. However, does this conventional wisdom hold water when we delve into solid research and hear from the experts? For a start, let's rewind a bit and clarify what we mean by surrogacy....

Once upon a time in a crowded subway train in New York, a weary woman, Amanda, sparked a conversation with her friend. She confessed, her face etched with despair, that she was contemplating surrogacy. Amanda's friend listened, nodding sympathetically as she imagined the pain Amanda must be feeling after years of unsuccessful attempts at natural conception. A haggard-looking woman in tattered clothes, clutching a worn-out bag, overhead their discussion. She was quick to chime in: "Dearie, surrogacy isn't what it seems. It's the rich exploiting the poor." This statement seemed to echo the sentiment of many, a belief cornered in misunderstanding and stereotype yet widely shared. However, let's delve into the corridors of this premise, explore its intricate alleyways and analyze the blanket judgment that portrays surrogacy as an exploitative scheme benefitting only the affluent. In medieval England, the word 'surrogacy' didn't even exist. Today, the c...

Once upon a time, in a small Midwest town, a woman named Amelia sat opposite her doctor, feeling a whirlpool of emotions. Having just received an infertility diagnosis tied to a medical condition that made her incapable of carrying a pregnancy to term, she confronted drastic prospects. Intriguingly, the first solution offered by her doctor was not a myriad of invasive fertility treatments but surrogacy. Contrary to many preconceived notions, surrogacy, for Amelia, wasn't the end of a futile journey but instead, a promising starting point.  Surrogacy tends to be immersed in an aura of confusion and mystery. Often, it is painted as the last resort, the final station on a frustrating journey filled with fertility treatments that end in futility. A pervasive belief prevails, suggesting that surrogacy is only contemplated after a colloquial medical proverb — ‘all else has failed.’ This belief, immortalized in the collective consciousness, is begging for an urgent update.  To unders...