American Attitudes Towards Surrogacy

Written by Steve Masler, CEO of Fertility SOURCE Companies

I recently read an article on surrogacy that discussed international attitudes toward the subject, particularly from the standpoint of the British, as viewed by Americans. The British, as it may be well known, are opposed to surrogacy, as are many other countries of the world. In the United States, attitudes are mixed, with some states effectively broadly permitting it and other states limiting it or outright prohibiting it. The article that I read expressed surprise that the British are almost schizophrenic in that they are so progressive toward reproductive research, yet against something as seemingly basic as surrogacy. Britain of course was the home of the first IVF baby, Louise K. Brown.

In looking at the British attitude toward surrogacy and even at those of the states in the US who are opposed, it would seem that the overriding theme is one of tradition, i.e. she who carries is called mother (mum in Britain). However, even to traditionalists, it seems to be backward thinking that says that she who can't carry a child to term must not therefore be able to develop an offspring of her own. It is pushing the point to an extreme to block a very traditional husband and wife from having children of their own.

Ironically enough, the foreign attitudes about surrogacy have not stopped the process among nationals of the various countries. Those individuals have simply bought themselves tickets for the United States, with its devalued dollar, and found fertility clinics and surrogates who are more than glad to help them become proud parents.