The proposal to legalize surrogacy in New York was presented as an unequivocal progressive ideal, a remedy to a ban that burdens gay and infertile couples and stigmatizes women who cannot have children on their own.
And yet, as the State Legislature hurtles toward the end of its first Democrat-led session in nearly a decade, the bill’s success is anything but certain.
Long-serving female lawmakers have spoken out against it. Prominent feminists, including Gloria Steinem, have denounced it. Women’s rights scholars have argued that paid surrogacy turns women’s bodies into commodities and is coercive to poor women given the sizable payments it can bring.
With just one week remaining in this year’s legislative session, what supporters have presented as an obvious move — 47 other states permit surrogacy — has turned into an emotional debate about women’s and gay rights, bodily autonomy and New York’s reputation as a progressive leader.
By Lisa Ikemoto and Diane Tober, San Francisco Chronicle | 09.12.2019
Aggregated News
Medical researchers would be allowed to buy women’s eggs under a bill being considered by the Legislature this week. As pro-choice, feminist scholars, we are deeply troubled by this legislation. The arguments for the legislation ignore the repercussions for prospective donors. While the bill claims, “Concerns that women will be exploited if compensated for providing human oocytes for research have not borne out” in other states, we can find no support for this statement.
Two couples who had children through surrogates in Ukraine are warning prospective parents to do their research thoroughly before choosing an agency to help facilitate it.
By Jacqueline Mroz, The New York Times | 08.21.2019
Aggregated News
Scores of people born through artificial insemination have learned from DNA tests that their biological fathers were the doctors who performed the procedure.
