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People sometimes wonder why others turn to gestational surrogacy as a way of building a family.  I am happy to add my two cents and expertise to this important topic because I work daily with Intended Parents and Gestational Surrogates.  These are lovely, loving people.  Here’s why gestational surrogacy is a blessing and here to stay.

For heterosexual Intended Parents, meaning people who wish to be first-time parents or add to their family, there is a long list of medical problems that can lead people to surrogacy including:

• Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), a congenital condition that results in a woman’s uterus and vagina being absent or underdeveloped
• Cancer survivor, which can restrict use of hormones or have resulted in the removal of ovaries or the uterus
• Multiple miscarriages
• Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other mental health condition that, if untreated, could be dangerous during pregnancy
• Blood clotting disorders
• Unexplained infertility
• Previous birth trauma (hemorrhage, uterine rupture)
• Too many C-sections
• Heart complications
• History of premature delivery, sometimes resulting in the death of a baby
• Diabetes

Gay Intended Parents want to be parents, too.  They want to be represented genetically.  Just like straight Intended Parents.

Surrogates, also called gestational carriers, want to meet the need.  And the need is growing day by day.  They are not “surrogate mothers.”  Surrogates are mothers to their own children, not to the child or children they carry.  They are quite articulate about that.  They will tell you every time that the child they are carrying “It’s not my baby. I’m just carrying the baby.  They are the parents.”

They believe it.  I believe them.

Do you?  I hope so.

Helping people to build their families is a blessing.

Here’s the thing that people who are anti-surrogacy need to understand. Surrogacy makes sense to Intended Parents and their families and friends. Surrogacy makes sense to gestational carriers, their partners, their children, their families and friends.  They all see this as a blessing.  If you are a religious person, you might even say that all babies come from God and this is one way that God can help to bring a baby into the world. To ease hurt and suffering.  To bring joy.  Gestational surrogacy works and is a blessing.

Ending or restricting gestational surrogacy would be like stopping a moving train with your hand. People would get hurt.  Badly.  But it will keep going.

What we need to do is to ensure that Intended Parents and Gestational Surrogates are safe in the process.

Legislation is needed to protect Surrogates and Intended Parents.

Now.

Here in Minnesota and across the United States.

Because gestational surrogacy is a blessing that’s here to stay.