Surrogate offered $10,000 to abort baby

[The Straight Story]

....

The doctors explained the baby would need several heart surgeries after she was born. She would likely survive the pregnancy, but had only about a 25% chance of having a "normal life," Kelley remembers the doctors saying.

In a letter to Kelley's midwife, Dr. Elisa Gianferrari, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Hartford Hospital, and Leslie Ciarleglio, a genetic counselor, described what happened next.

"Given the ultrasound findings, (the parents) feel that the interventions required to manage (the baby's medical problems) are overwhelming for an infant, and that it is a more humane option to consider pregnancy termination," they wrote.

Kelley disagreed.

"Ms. Kelley feels that all efforts should be made to 'give the baby a chance' and seems adamantly opposed to termination," they wrote.

....

$10,000 to have an abortion

The next day, according to medical records, the mother called Hartford Hospital to ask about different types of abortion. It was explained to her that they could induce birth (the baby wouldn't survive) or they could do a dilation and evacuation, in which case the pregnancy would be vacuumed out of the womb. The mother, after asking about whether the fetus would feel any pain, said she thought the second option was best.

She asked if the procedure had been scheduled. No, she was told. Only Kelley could do that.

The mother noted that the surrogacy agency was getting in touch with Kelley, and a few days later, Kelley received an e-mail from Rita Kron at Surrogacy International telling her that if she chose to have the baby, the couple wouldn't agree to be the baby's legal parents.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/04/health/surrogacy-kelley-legal-battle/index.html

[Deep13]

1. Yup, start over.

Or better yet, adopt a kid rather than jump through all these hurdles to have a new one.

[Scuba]

3. +1 for the adoption recommendation.

[LisaL]

8. And you don't think one needs to jump through many hurdles in order to adopt?

It's that easy?

[randome]

16. Plenty of hurdles to jump regarding surrogacy, apparently.

[Deep13]

18. They aren't biological hurdles. nt

[Recursion]

2. Oy vey.

That's like the reproductive ethics perfect storm.

[alp227]

4. Well, the parents made an irreversible surrogacy decision

and should have known birth defects could happen.

[elehhhhna]

5. imo any idiot w/ an eye on legality and liability would

have adressed this in the contract.

Typically the gestational mother is also providing the egg/s. Regardless, voluntary selection (or whatever they call abortions which deselect extra/multiple fetuses from these pregnant women) happens often enough - why is this different?

[nessa]

6. The contract did cover it. (m)

According to the contract the parents had the right to ask for an abortion in the event of fetal defects.

The lawyer for the surrogate said that this clause could not be enforced. No one can be forced to get an abortion.

Different states have different laws, so the surrogate went to Michigan, where she was recognized as the legal parent not the biological parents.

Then an interesting twist came out. The so-called biological mother, wasn't the biological mother. They used a donor egg.

Eventually the baby was born and adopted by a family with experience taking care of special needs children. The bio dad and his wife, did eventually show an interest in the child. He met her and held her but gave up his parental rights.

[elehhhhna]

7. wow and wow -

thanks for the info. Of course the clause can't be enforced. Makes sense. This would also mean a surrogate who hits the octomom lottery can't be forced to do selective abortions, either.


Slippery slope, these surrogacy contracts.

[LisaL]

9. And the child's defects are even more severe than were originally believed.

I guess before one decides to hire a surrogate one really needs to make sure that surrogate is o'key with abortion.

[CTyankee]

10. Her body. Her choice.

I don't know if the mother to be has thought this through however. Perhaps she thinks this can be overcome with some extra help, I don't know. It will be a difficult, if not insurmountable, problem for just one person. The eventual baby will probably be on state care. But perhaps the birth mother will want to assume care for the child. If she wishes to devote her life to this, then that is her right. If she doesn't, well....

[LisaL]

11. The surrogate already gave the child up.

She didn't wish to devote her life to this.

[CTyankee]

12. well, okay, so that is the choice, right?

[LisaL]

13. Yea, it's her choice. Doesn't mean I have to agree with it, or think its a good choice.

[CTyankee]

14. Well, it's not up to you and me. I am strongly pro-choice, but we simply can't have it both ways.

It's her body or it isn't. Our agreement isn't part of the deal, is it?

[LisaL]

15. Why did she agree to become a surrogate knowing she opposed abortion?

Yet she signed a contract that said parents of the child had a right to ask for an abortion if child had birth defects.

[CTyankee]

17. Oh, I see the disparity completely. But her body, her choice as we say.

I don't know how we can say she can't have that choice as long as it is in her body.