Couple Pushed Their Surrogate to Abort

Case highlights thorny nature of surrogate pregnancies
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 7, 2010 10:10 AM CDT
Updated Oct 10, 2010 11:19 AM CDT
Abortion and Surrogate Pregnancies: Couple Pushed Surrogate Mom to Abort
Surrogate pregnancy brings with it a host of complicated issues.   (Shutter Stock)

Abortion is a thorny issue, and it got even more thorny in one Canadian case: A couple working with a surrogate mother pushed for her to abort their fetus when they found it was likely to be born with Down syndrome. The surrogate didn’t want to abort, but the agreement signed by all three parties stipulated that if she went through with the pregnancy against the parents’ wishes, the couple would be absolved of any responsibility for the child, the National Post reports.

In this situation, the surrogate ended up deciding to abort, but the case highlights the inherent complexity of surrogacy agreements. “Should the rules of commerce apply to the creation of children? No, because children get hurt,” says one bioethicist, but a former surrogate raises the question, “Why should the intended parents be forced to raise a child they didn’t want? It’s not fair.” The bottom line: It’s important to agree on issues like this before going through with a surrogacy—in three other Canadian cases, the biological parents divorced and backed out, leaving the surrogates to raise the babies.
(More abortion stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X